HEAD LIGHT GLARE.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 28 November 1925, Page 8

HEAD LIGHT GLARE.

A REMEDY. If one can judge from- the tono of Iho letters appearing in the Press, motor owners have not yet reached that point in their education when they can discuss without heat tho question of whether it is necessary to dim or extinguish head lights when approaching another car. Tho reasoning process followed by the averago motorist is somewhat as follows: Most motor head lamps causo unpleasant glare. Glare is a»nuisance, and must bo got rid of. If the lamps are extinguished or dimmed glare will cease to exist. Therefore wo niust force every driver to put out his headlights when meeting another car. Thinking for Themselves.

The motor-owner of greater eipcrienco, and other motorists who are in the habit of thinking out things for themselves, and who do not allow the shouting crowd to rulo them, probably think tho matter out like this: Fairly powerful lights aro carried in order that night driving may be safe. Even on the open road, with no other vebTcle in si"ht it is necessary to see the road and its boundaries for some distance ahead. The road may bend suddenly, or there may be nasty holes or pieces, of rock which have to be avoided. There may also bo pedestrians or cattle abont. Good lights are necessary to avoid It does Beem somewhat ridiculous that when there aro two cars approacheach other at considerable speed, and tho road dangers are at least doubled, that lights which are considered necessary on the open road should be suddenly extinguished. But that is not all. Nobody will gainsay the fact that the efficiency of the eye is reduced at least by oO per cent, when working under 6uch conditions. Its efficiency is much less than that, but let ns take this figure. ' Doubling the road dangers and halving the eye efficiency multiplies by four the chance of an accident. Glare is bad, but surely it is not as Bad as that? ~ _ .. Solving the Problem. There is no doubt that 6ome day a genius will arrive who will solve this problem. In the meantime wo have to cany on, and it will help not a little if motorists will give some attention to their head lamps. In some of the American States car-owners are to be compelled to give this attention, and to keep their lamps in focus. In Massachusetts the authorities hold that tho greatest difficulty in lighting occurs because of the indifference of the carowners to keep 'their head lamps in good mechanical condition, and m proper adjustment. It is also stated that readjustments are necessary every two or three wee'ks_.Somfitimesrthis-is due to

bad design and workmanship in the Jamps, sagging aud misplaced lamp filaments, and looso lamp sockets, but aftener it is simply lack of adjustment —that is, lamps ont of foens. This same- State is out for business, for hot only will the owners of bad or incorrectly adjusted lamps bo pulled up, but they will also be compelled to fit new head lamps which are capable of being properly adjusted. Motorists shonld therefore experiment with the position of the .bulb in their lamps till they pfet a long narrow beam which projects slightly downwards towards the road. This test can be made by facing the car to a white wall some considerable distance away, and pulling the bulb out or in till the besi result is obtained. Re-tests and adjustments should be made from time to time. Tf this is conscientiously done by all motorists there will be fewer complaints about excessive glare.