REAR NUMBER PLATES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 147, 23 June 1928, Page 18

REAR NUMBER PLATES

POSITION AND LIGHTING ■■'".. •, "'''A GENUINE COMPLAINT ' Quite a number of motor owners have . complied with . tho regulation that re-quires-the tail-light to Wat the righthand aide of their ears. In practically every ease tho tail-light is used to illuminate the registration plate—" Autos " las seen no other .arrangement—and consequently the number is also parried out over tho wing. A casual glance at almost any ear so fitted will reveal that the registration plate is in a position of obscurity except to persons directly behind it or to tho right; it is not visible except at some distance when viewed from the left, and this distance is, great enough to prevent its being quickly deciphered-. Moreover, many of the cars, so fitted also have , a luggage carrier. These, at present, .in the majority of cases, are folded iip, it '„- Ibeing winter time, but when the;summer months come along : they .\yijl be , once more in use, and it -is -quite cvi: • dent that in numerous'cases the registration plate is going to be completely obscured from the; left. The regulation . says that the registration plate : must be visible, from at least sixty feet, but nothing is said of the angle of View. There is 'a distinct weakness in tho regulation here. , It'ia difficult to see why the Department should require jth'e tail-light to be out at the right-hand side. From the" , • point of jview of quickly reading, the : registration aumber .there can be no '. question that the plate is best placed in-the centre, and right,back of every- - thing else on the car, and there seems ■ ad good reason why tho tail-light should not. : continue to form an integral part of, this lay-out. Since the regulations came into force, "Autos" has refrained / from making comment upon them'l—recognising their necessity—but thin question of the rear registration-plate ... , arid tail-light does seem to demand revision. Motorists are being put to inconvenience and-expense to carry out a change that will not-, only detract greatly frtrni the appearance of their cars but will actually give a result greatly inferior from wha* was prc.vioiisly provided. - \ ..;■ ...■■..' !To_ have a -light separate from the tail-light to illuminate the registration plate is, of course, legal and possible, but it is not desirable, and, moreover^ is by no means as simple to instal as might appear offhand to be the caae. . 'Inquiries were made of various people who should know, or at any rate be ready to express an opinion upon this . red light and number plate question, , but none of them seemed sure of their ground except .that the obj ■ t of placing the rear light to the right was to afford an overtaking . driver a, proper indication of the sweep he would have to make to-clear the car ahead. Were the red light in the centre, or, worse . , r still, over to the left, accidents could easily occur in driving on narrow roads on bad .nights. It was pointed cut, by reference to an extensively illustrated trade hand-book,, that practically all-cars, in -America, where p"he} { rule is that drivers musi keep to the right, the rear light and . plate are placed to the left.' Those from whom inquiries were mada agreed that there was apparently nothing in the regulations to insist that the number plate Should beplaeed over to the right, but that it must go there as a matter of convenience, for lighting from the side Window of the. rear/ light. 'If the owner chose to install a special light for his rear number plate, then, appar- ■ ently, he could place the plato in the centre. With regard to the hiding of the plate and;: red light by luggage, it looked very-much as if the conscientious motorist" would have to abide by the regulation, and put his red ; light well over?* ;To insist upon the installing of a specjalibrackqt to carry the light behind !the,Vcsirrier .would-be fine in theory butrwould be;open to theseripus objeetion vthatglobes would go to smash in no time on account of the extra.vibration.-. • , : '• '.. All of which, "Autos" would point out, just goes .to show! how absurd.is theory in face of fact; Does anyone know of. any case of an accident having .'occurred through ..the red light haying misled .an;;overtaking driver as to the clearance The rest is only an. admission, in toto of "Autoa's?' complaint, ;'■,•'.' *;■.'.