MOTORING

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LIII, Issue 12, 12 February 1932, Page 2

MOTORING

HIDDEN DANGERS

DRIVING AT NIGHT.

REASONS FOR CARE

The average motorist in New Zealand does not usually prefer to drive from one place to another after dark, either owing to bad eyesight or lack of an energetic disposition. There are others who frankly revel in speeding along the deserted roads, the white beams of their headlamps shooting out to the horizon and picking out in plenty of time the slightest hint of danger and every curve in the road. But the dangers that lie in wait for the motorist by day are intensified a hundredfold at night. It is more than ever necessary to adjust one's driving to the road conditions, never going at a higher speed than will permit one to stop before reaching any object which might be encountered round a bend, or that might not be disclosed in time by the penetrating beams of the headlamps.

Most cars of the mass-produced type are fitted with headlamps that light the road clearly for at least 300 feet ahead, and sometimes considerably more. At the same time, the beams of headlamps do not bend, and it is therefore impossible to see around corners. Curves should never be taken any faster than the speed at which the driver knows he can get round. The white line is of great assistance to the motorist after dark, and serves as an index to the speed at which such a bend may be negotiated in safety.

Nothing should be taken for granted after dark. The telegraph poles must never be followed blindly, as they might suddenly strike off across country, with the result that the motorist would experience an accident in unwittingly trying to pursue them. Changes of road surface should be looked out for particularly at night, and it is often quite difficult to tell whether the actual surface is wet or dry.

By far the most comforting way of driving at night is to have plenty of light, which should be as widely spread as possible. It is desirable to have just as much driving light when the anti-dazzle is employed as under normal conditions, but the point is that the light should be kept down on the road. Many drivers find their judgment affected by darkness, especially when it comes to estimating the distance away of cars approaching on a long straight road. Judgment in these circumstances is even more difficult when the roads are wet. Incidentally, the eyes of animals are splendid natural reflectors. A flash of green light on a country road may easily herald the approach of some sheep or a dog.