NIGHT DRIVING RISKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19028, 27 May 1925, Page 8

NIGHT DRIVING RISKS.

THE DAZZLE PROBLEM. DANGERS OF DIMMING. A POPULAR FALLACY.

BY ITEADIJGHT.

"To dim or not to dim?" has long been a much vexed question among motorists uncustomed to night drivingFutile efforts to secure an absolute solution of the dazzle problem have ortlv stimulated tho controversy. As the vital factor of public safety figures largely in tho issue, it is essential that unanimity should be reached among all who venture on the, highways after dark. Failing tho invention and universal adoption ol efficient, anti-dazzlo devices, the problem resolves itself into a compromise by adjusting existing headlights so that the concentrated beams of light are normally below tho eye level. It is not claimed that this, the simplest oi ail anti-dazzle measures, can do moro than substantially reduce the evil. The Oily Council by-law has been devised with this latter object and facilities for the adjustment of headlights in conformity with the regulation, are available. The by-law is essentially a, " safety-first" measure, and recent accidents to both vehicles and pedestrians could be cited in which either dazzling headlights or sudden dimming were primary causes of mishap. Reasons Assigned For Dimming. Among many drivers of long experience Iho practice of dimming or " blackingout," on approaching vehicles, is emphatically condemned. Observation during night driving in Auckland indicates that a large proportion of drivers religiously " dim." It is a habit which has grown, strangely enough, in the guise of a safety measure. Many believe implicitly in its ctlkacy, and probably not a few who realise its futility in tho reduction of collision risk continue to switch off out of courtesy. There are good reasons for tho belief that many drivers, who in their own minds aro sure that it is safer to keep on their headlights, go against their better judgment when the other driver dims his lights. Courtesy between drivers is praiseworthy, but tho experience of many suggests that, dimming is a perilous politeness. Not satisfied with being themselves wedded to the dimming habit, a small i proportion of drivers do their-best to I inoculate others by vigorously sounding | tho horn or Hashing a spotlight when ; an approaching car fails to respond to the signal to dim. Invective and reprisals aro not unknown, and a driver who ignores the signalling of a devotee of dimming may expect (o hear a sarcastic epitome of his capabilities float, across liie highway as the cars pass. Danger oi Inadequate Lights, j With the advent of the winter and early sunsets, the question of illumination on motor-cars assumes a greater importance. The demand is for headlamps which give a powerful driving light without, causing annoyance or proving a source of danger to other road users. On wet nights tho question of illumination is still more vital. Danger is magnified immediately a driver dims his headlights. The brighter the lights the greater is tho risk of dimming, as for an appreciable time after switching off a driver's sight fails to respond to tho change in conditions. Even a few seconds may spell disaster, and there is no doubt that many drivers trust to instinct when they voluntarily plunge themselves into darkness, a darkness the more abysmal because of the brightness which preceded it. A driver whoso headlights arc normally feeble can usually see fairly well when the lamps arc dimmed. It is a question of contrast.. There is a fascination and a feeling of security in driving behind powerful lights. Any anti-glare remedy which materially reduces tho power of the headlights is not worthy of consideration. No driver can dispute that weak lights mean greater hazards. There is, of course, no necessity for powerful headlights when travelling in brightly-illuminated city streets. Dimmed lights are obviously preferable when the street lighting is adequate for driving needs. On dark, strange, country roads tho danger of dimming reaches its zenith. Combating the Dazzle Evil. Although efficiency in lamps is largely a question of correct focus, tho dazzle evil is not absent when headlights are badly adjusted. If all, headlamps were of equal power and focus the dazzle problem would never arise, and the theories of the advocates of dimming would have j never been evolved. j With a view to eliminating dazzle and | removing the only excuse for dimming, ' experts and automobile organisations in Great Britain conducted exhaustive research work during 1924. Many scores of suggested anti-dazzle devices were tested. They included patent lenses, reflectors, and bulbs, as well as mechanical methods for tilting the headlights from the driver's seat. A number of the inventions were effective to some extent. A few were ingenious, others freakish. But none were accepted as a definite and economical solution of tho problem. The insertion of a segment of coloured, transparent material in the windshield was a simple expedient not without good features. Its drawback is that while, eliminating dazzle it invariably restricts the vision of tho road ahead. Authorities Deprecate Dimming. After analysing tho problems of night driving and testing a variety of inventions, the English It oval Automobile Club has been unable to recommend any device a:, the final solution of dazzling, but has issued advice to motorists to discontinue the practice of dimming or switching off their headlights. The reasons given for this decision arc firstly that it is considered essential to establish a uniform rule to remedy tho existing state of confusion. The second consideration is the fact that dimming is a source of danger to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers of ill-lighted vehicles. The campaign for the ur iversal recognition of this recommendation has been championed by the London Daily Mail in a series of articles published last, month. Eminent English and Continental motorists deprecate dimming and advise, reducing speed and driving by the full power of the lights. Drivers At Fault. The votaries of dimming advance the contention that danger exists whichever course is taken, but maintain that dazzle is the greater evil. It, is probable that, many drivers unconsciously concentrate their eyes on the nucleus of the dazzle, instead of watching the road illuminated by their own headlights. If the sight is foeussed deliberately ut some landmark ahead on the left, side of the road it will be found that the brighter lights approaching cannot, fully obscure tho view. The alternative of dimming and plunging into impenetrable darkness is decidedly more conducive to accident. Observation of the new by-law must inevitably bring home to motorists for the first time the fact that adequate illumination of a road can bo secured without the danger of unduly dazzling an approaching driver and without inviting unknown risks by dimming.