Evening star., 1937-04-18

nauOnS are taxing Cne maCJer Serious
ly, and that Germany already has sew
eral highways equipped with ''day
time lighting at night. Several
stretches in the United States have
been so Illuminated and have proven
very satisfactory. However, the opera
ton is still in its infancy. Tremendous
costs involved have caused officials
everywhere to proceed slowly in its
advocacy. The majority, at the same
time, do approve of it and see the
need.
Declaring that wholesale illumina-
ton of 100000 miles of highway would
cost ST, 800, 900 900 in 10-year period,
the American Automobile Association
demanded that road lighting projects
be individually determined on the
basis of study and experimentation
rather than on the basis OF pressure
and propaganda.
This is not struggle between the
forces of light and the forces of dark
ness" declared Thomas P. Henry,
president of the national motoring
body. 1T is matter of proceeding
with care, caution and due regard for
all the factors involved. Lighting GER
tain stretches of road where the need
has been proven is one thing; spend
ing q billion or more dollars on the
basis of inadequate knowledge and
hysteria- producing propaganda is an
entirely different matter.
"A given stretch of road should be
lighted only when it is definitely
proved that illumination will prevent
night accidents which could not be
prevented by other less costly meth
ods Illumination is not the only way
of making the highways safer; there
are other effective means that save
lives both by night and by day and
which do not have such high cost
of upkeep. I refer, of course, to such
features as dual-lane, divided high
ways, separation of opposing traffic
lanes at intersections, proper warning
signs and so on.
Because the cost of operating the
Illumination system eventually far ex-
ceeds the cost of installation, whole
sale road lighting would constitute
an annual charge of serious proper
tions upon motor transport. 1t would
inevitably mean either an increase in
already exorbitant motor taxes or a
reduction in the amount of money
available for other greatly needed
highway improvements.
"One further word of caution is es-
sential. Experiments are now being
made concerning the application of
new principles to headlight illumina-
ton which, if successful and univer-
sally adopted, would be effective on
all highways and not merely on the
small percentage which could be pro-
vided with highway lighting in the
years just ahead. Such non-glare
headlights would do much toward
obviating the need for highway light
ing and might cause the scrapping of
expensive highway lighting equip
ment prematurely installed"
when accidents occur at night at
the same rate per million vehicle miles
travelled as they do during daylight,
American motorists will pocket be-
tween s150,000,000 and s2OO,OO0 900
now paid annually in accident in
surance premiums for excess night
accidents alone" according to R. E.
Simpson, Illuminating engineer of an
insurance company.
Records show that last year there
were 10000 more deaths and $4,000
more accidents at night than might
logically have been expected on a
traffic-exposure basis.
The tremendous annual loss due
to excess night accidents is much
greater than would be the cost of
adequate lighting, preventive meas
use which would eliminate poor visi-
bility, the extra night hazard preva-
lent along dimly-lighted city streets
and dark main highways throughout
the Nation"
For an example of how adequate
lighting on city streets and main
highways would work toward decreas-
Ing accident insurance rates, Mr..
Simpson points to Hartford and its
surrounding territory. Hartford has
a specific rate embracing the city
and its surrounding towns. Any ma
terial reduction in the number and
amount of accident claims over
flve-year period within this district
would be reflected in a reduced in
surance rate. If then, by good light
ing on the streets and highways in
this district night accidents are re-
duced by 40 per cent, or a 20 per cent
reduction of the total, this might
mean 6 or per cent premium re-
duction from the rate established by
the past five years experience If this
good experience continued for three
successive years, then the full reduc-
ton would have been earned and
granted. The same policy is followed
in increasing the rate when the num-
Der and amount of accident claims
increase.
Generally speaking, good public
lighting will tend to reduce automo-
bile insurance rates to the same de-
gree as it reduces the total accident
claims. Since the citizens of a given
area pay the major costs of accidents
occurring in that area, they would
reap the benefit when better lighting
reduced the number and amount of
accident claims, because the reduction
would apply only to that area"
The next 18 months give promise of
q definite test of the Diesel engine in
the automotive field, particularly as
q power unit for trucks, according to
North American Newspaper Alliance
report.
Fleet owners are showing readi-
ness to try out Diesel-powered units
for long distance hauling. Probably
Is many as 5000 such trucks are now
on the highways. At least one or two
Of the major manufacturers probably
viii enter the market within the next
year with Diesel-operated models for
commercial use.
The success Of engine builders in
reducing, the weight Of Diesels has
opened up latent possibilities for them