DAZZLING LIGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19490, 20 November 1926, Page 10 (Supplement)

DAZZLING LIGHTS.

THE DANGERS OF DIMMING. The vexed question of headlight dimming is again under view. It can only be repeated that the necessity for diniing is obviated if the headlights are correctly adjusted. Both the Auckland City Council and the Hamilton Borough Council have made by-laws requiring that the main beam of the lights shall not project more than 3£ft. from the ground at a distance of 75ft. from the vehicle. It is immaterial how bright lights are if they cannot reach the eye level of approaching drivers. Many motorists cannot distinguish between bright lights and dazzling lights, and when they see a bright light in the distance they give the signal to dim in ignorance of the fact that a powerful light may have no dazzle effect, while a rather poor reflector with a high efficiency bulb may produce extreme glare if not correctly levelled. Some drivers object to adjusting their lights because the dipping of the beams deprives them of a very far-reaching beam for country driving. The -difficulty is easily settled if motorists who do much country driving would use a spotlight for the long distance light and rely on the properly dipped headlights for closer illumination. The danger of dimming was remarked on by the judge of the Totnes County Court, Engjand, recently, in giving judgment in a motor collision case. His Honor said that a driver who dimmed his headlights, either too late or at a time which rendered himself and the driver of the on-coming car for a ,moment blind—or of defective vision—was doing a thing that no wise or careful driver would do upon reflection.