Evening star., 1933-03-12
In the Motor World
BY G. ADAMS HOWARD.

ing dusk and darkness. The ability to
see in any case, says DR.. LuckeSh, Is
intricately entwined with the ease OF
seeing and the latter is influenced by
many psycho-phystologic factors as
well as by external ones ordinarily con-
sidered in connection with visibility.
Among the outstanding work of DR..
Luckiesh and Mr.. Moss in their re-
search on light is the discovery that
nervous muscular tension increases as
illumination becomes increasingly in
adequate. So it can be said that poor
illumination at night produces human
effects, which by themselves increase
the probabilities Of serious accidents.
New Stabilizer.
New devices for safeguarding the
motorists are ever being made. A steer
ing stabilizer that works on the lines
of shock absorber has now made It's
appearance, designed to prevent shin
mying" and jolts of the wheels on rough
roads. While it actually does not affect
the wheels where it is connected, it IS
said to permit steady operation of the
steering apparatus at all times. 1t is
claimed that this equipment will greatly
safeguard machines when tire blows
out at high speed.
The diversity now existing with re-
gard to State motor vehicle laws also
extends to the license plates which
identify the units in the country's rub
ber-tired system Of transportation.
This statement was made today by
national headquarters Of the American
Automobile Association on the basis Of
a survey of 1888 plates for the 48 States
and the District of Columbia.
A. A. A. Survey Report.
The highlights of the A. A. A. sur
vey are:
Current license tags in 81 States and
the District of Columbia carry the full
name of the States, while an abbrevia-
ton of the State name is used in 81.
The name of the issuing State Is
shown at the bottom of the plates of %
States and the District of Columbia, at
the top on those of II States, on the
right side of the tags of seven States,
and on the left side on those Of two
States.
Five States have State symbols or slo-
gans on their 1888 license plates.
Louisiana has a pelican, Montana an
outline Of the State, Pennsylvania a
Keystone, South Carolina a line reading
1 lle 1OUllt 1IOOuSIo OtdtC Sallo L 4SAeao
lone star.
The national motoring body pointed
out that the greatest variation in the
tags, however, Is in the sizes and in the
location of bracket holes used in attach
ing the plates to motor vehicles. He
continued:
Used by Six States.
1.-The more standard size-five and a
half by IL inches-is used in six States,
three States issue tags 5l2 by 1872
inches and an equal number have plates
by IA inches two States have tags
5la by 1874 inches, two States have
tags 6 by Is inches, in two they are 5
by 13 inches, and in two others, 6 by
Is inches. The widths of plates are
fairly uniform but the lengths vary as
much rs six inches.
"The diversity in the placing OF
bracket holes on tags, of course, makes
it difficult for car manufacturers to
place license plate holders on automo-
biles so that it will be easy for all plates
to be attached. Thirty States have OBJ
long bracket holes at the top Of their
license plates and eight have them at
both top and bottom. Forty-three
States have round bracket holes on both
the top and bottom Of their tags. One
State has round holes on the bottom Of
its tags. Four States have no round or
screw holes and one State has round
holes at the top of its plate and on each
side"