Evening star., 1933-03-12
District Commissioners dis
played wise judgment In their
recent order limiting the speed

: "HE DlStrlcG COnlIulSSlouciS uo-
Z played wise Judgment IN their
- recent order limiting the speed
of ambulances and fire engines
to 80 miles an hour and prohib-
iting them from going through trafnc
lights before stopping.
In the majority Of cases there Is
nothing gained by the saving OF few
minutes. The time saved Is certainly
offset by the loss of life and damage to
. property that may be caused by a wild
, rush.
Traffic Well Handled.
{ Inauguration day traffic was well
handled in respects to safety on the
, streets of the city. CongeStions were
frequently present, but accidents few
and far between. Motorists OF this city
d. are to be felicitated upon the good cau-
tious driving.
Driving cautiously is any easy thing
to learn It can be done at all times,
and there is never any reason for drlv-
ing of any other kind. Besides harmful
results that may occur from neglect,
think Of how much more pleasant drlv-
ing would be if every one drove care
fully and sanely.
Automobile accidents in the twilight
period Just after sunset and during
darkness are more likely to result In
serious injury and death than accidents
: occurring during daylight, according to
- statistics obtained from research re-
ports of one of the large insurance
companies.
These reports state that because dur
ing dusk and darkness the fleld OF Vls-
ion of operation is reduced by made
iII,1y,oir, otinn and headlight glare
from approaching cars momentarlly
blinds drivers.
3, Driving at Night.
Night driving, even when glare is
absent, Is exceedingly dangerous be-
cause too many operators drive beyond
= their lights. Many are the night acci-
dents briefly described failed to see
pedestrian until too late"
Because of inadequate lighting at
night, the pupils Of the eyes are en-
: larged considerably, in order to ADMIT
more light to the retina (the sensitive
membrane of the eye which receives
the image and is connected with the
brain by the optic nerve). With inumi-
nation inadequate, however, not enough
light is admitted to the eyes to make
clear image upon the retina. Conse-
quently, drivers at night see only those
objects that are within relatively short
distances-and imperfectly then.
- The pupils Of the eyes require about
as many minutes to open to maxi
mum diameter as seconds to close to
minimum diameter. If second IS re-
ouired for the pupils to contract Tor
adjustment to the brightness OF on
coming headlights, minute is required
for the pupils to open to a maximum
diameter generally necessary for mght
driving. Thus there is brief period
during which operators can barely see.
II this condition should last only
three or four seconds, car at 40 miles
an hour would cover from lit to 236
feet OF roadway, and at the rather
moderate speed of 25 miles, from IL
to 148 feet. Any object or person within
these distances in the path OF the car
very likely would be struck, and further,
any object or person within the add
tional ordinary stopping distances OF,
say, 126 feet at 40 miles and 56 feet at
Is miles. very likely would be struck.
Only a part of ones sense capacity,
SAYS DR.. NJ LucKiesh. director OF Light
ing Research Laboratory, is available
for seeirg a given object when driving
an automobile The abilities and sense
capacity of a driver, he adds, are largely
in use otherwise, which fact empha-
sizes the need for very large factor
of safety in driving, and especially dur