A NEW CAR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 14 July 1925, Page 9

A NEW CAR

OA.MAI.T MAN'S HAD IT'CIv

DAZZI.KD P.V UKAHLIOIITS

, : roughs riiV’p;’ ippglf.; Joseph Alfred rslibitcc; , HakalTta - men, near O&ma'ru, agrees with this adage. Ho appeared in the Magistrate's Court recently to answer a charge of driving a car without a license, and with, failing to keep ns near as practicable to the left-hand side of the mail when meeting another vehicle The charges arose out of a collision which occurred on the Kurow-Onmaru

road on May 22. when Hampton's car came in violent contact with a Ford driven by a man named Fricker. Fricker also had to appear in Court to answer

a charge of carrying a. light on his vehicle which exhibited a light of dazzling brilliancy, thereby affecting the vision of Hampton. The ease was necessarily somewhat involved, and no doubt was regarded by each defendant as. a. test for a future civil action. Hampton had. rather a tale of woe to unfold. lie had on the day- of the accident bought the Ford car in Dunedin. The agent- had registered it, but had told Hampton he would not be required to obtain a license-till he was in his own district, Klirow. Hampton had never previously driven a ear at night. He fared all right till he was some 15 miles north of Oamaru. Then he tried to avoid an approaching ear by going very far over on bis left-hand side, and only just, missed hitting a huge bluegum. .He proceeded cautiously , after : this and a few miles further on saw a car with bright lights approaching. Not knowing the road, he was determined not to make his previous mistake of going too near the'left side; sfo lie broiight his car down to a very.slow pace, thereby practically extinguishing his headlights, which wore worked'from the engine. Only two small' kerosene sidelights remained. Hampton became properly dazzled by. the lights of the approaching car, whose driver, Frickler, seeing that Hampton was on his wrong side, wanted to see what was happening, and did not dim His lights. The cars tints approached, Hampton on his wrong side with practically no lights and Fricker coming towards him on ids correct, side with all lights on. Flicker when about six yards away (bought, the best thing to do to avoid a. head-on crash was to swerve across. This he did, hu(, rather tardily, for the ears struck with considerable force, though neither was travelling fast at the time. Until ears suffered severe damage, and Hampton and two of Flicker's passengers were cut by glass.

"You're a nice sort of chap t.o be on the road driving on your wrong side, - ’

was Flicker's remark as he got out. "Why the deuce didn't you dim your lights?" was Hampton's rejoinder. Both the cars had to remain there for the night.

Hampton pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to have a license, and not guilty to the second charge, basing his plea chiefly on the confusion caused by dazzling lights. The Magistrate, Mr Bundle, convicted and fined him 20s on the first, charge and dismissed the second on the payment of costs.

Fricker produced a certificate stating that his headlights were of 21 candlepower when full on. which was not regarded as unusually strong. The Magistrate, in dismissing the charge, commented on the unsatisfactory nature of the law in regard to motor headlights. He did not think Flicker had committed a, breach of the Police Offences Act, but even had he done so, lie would have been very diffident about convicting him. It was Jiigli time some satisfactory by-laws or laws were made concerning the brilliancy of headlights and tile practice of dimming.