HEADLIGHTS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17941, 8 December 1923, Page 4

HEADLIGHTS.

THE DAZZLE QUESTION. A NELSON RESOLUTION. (SSXCIkV TO "no FMS«."> NELSON, December 7. At a meeting of the Nelson Automobile Association, the chairman (Dr. G. A. Gibbs) said that as neither the Citv Council nor the "Waimea County Council had any by-law with regard to the dimming of headlights when motor meets motor nt night, and as the decision of the Automobile Association would bear considerable weight should a Court case result over . the question, a previous meeting of the committee had discussed the matter, and had decided "that it be a recommendation to the next general meetin"; that it be advisable m ordinary circumstances, when motor meets motor at night, for the drivers not to dim their headlights; but that on narrow, hilly roads the driver on the inside of the road should stop and dim his lights until the other has passed." A general discussion on the matter then took place. Mr H. Coltman said that should one motorist dim and the other refrain from doing so, it was quite impossible for the former to see the road at nil. He recounted an accident that had occurred in his case through this. Eh considered that the danger would bo obviated if all lights were focussed similarly and directed some 25 to 30 yards in front of the car. It was a good practice when meeting a car at night for a driver to close hii right eyo and turn his head slightly away. " Another motorist said that, following the courtesv of the road, he had dimmed his lights when meeting care, but having nearly had several accidents because of this, he was determined not to dim in the future. Mr L. N. Montgomery said the best way to overcome the difficulty was to use anti-dazzle lenses, which really diffused the light. Many of the so-called anti-dazzle damps were failures, but lenses which diffused the light in a proper manner, while they did not shine so far ahead as the ordinary headlight, gave a very good driving light, and were quite easy for a motorist coming in the opposite direction to face. Another member said he considered a solution would be for headlights not to be thrown too far ahead of the car; about 100 yards should txs the extreme limit for lights to be shown ahead. The chairman said that the objections raised against dimming werecommonsense ones. However, the question of getting uniform lamps could not be considered. What was to be decided was what course to recommend to motorists. 'lt was impossible to drive unless one had good lights. If one man's lights were brighter ; the other must stop and wait for him to pass. He was perfectly conivinced that the process of blacking out, as the English motor journals called dimming, was unsafe. Mr Coltman said that a motorist should dim when he met a horse, bicycle, or motor-cycle, but when a driver dimmed he should pull up. Mr E. Allen suggested that a committee be set up to go into the question. The chairman said that this had been done everywhere, but no finality had been reached. In one part of the Dominion- a motorist had been fined for dimming, and in another district another had been similarly treated for not dimming. There was no set rule. It was partly for this reason that they wanted to decide the question that evening. . ' After some further discussion the motion was put to the vole, and was carried unanimously. •