WARRANTS OF FITNESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23435, 25 February 1938, Page 5

WARRANTS OF FITNESS

WARNING TO MOTORISTS CAMPAIGN IN OTAGO The 1 ransport Department’s traffic officers have been assigned to work in pairs or in threes throughout the province on a “ drive ” for the purpose of checking on warrants of fitness and drivers’ licences, lights, brakes, certificates of fitness and fire extinguishers on passenger vehicles, and vehicle authorities on goodsservice vehicles. It is felt that motorists should have some .warning that such a “ drive ” is anticipated, and an invitation is being extended to drivers of vehicles to assist the officers by having their warrants and driver’s licences with them to produce on demand. Officers have been instructed to carry out their checking as expeditiously as possible, and it is expected that the motoring public will not mind being held up for a few minutes on this account.

To facilitate the matter of the check, a circular sticker will be attached to the windscreen of vehicles stopped after particulars have been taken, and in the case of motor cycles the stickers will be placed on the top centre of. the headlight lens. The sticker system has been introduced for the purpose of indicating that the vehicle has previously been stopped and checked, and from this it will be readily seen, that should a- vehicle be found with defective lights during the hours of darkness after once having been gone over by a traffic officer and a request made for repairs to lights, a serious view will be taken.

The warrant of fitness for a motor vehicle is required by law to be carried on the vehicle, there being no provision for the production of the warrant of fitness, although officers usually allow this in fairness to any person who may have accidently omitted to carry it. The law provides that the driver’s licence shall be produced on demand. A warrant of fitness is renewable six months from the date of issue, and is not valid for 12 months, as is the case for a driver’s licence.

Due probably to the now more universally used double fiilament bulbs in headlamps, motor vehicles with one headlight are noticeably common. This is due to the fact that one filament has been burnt out, giving two headlamps on the full-on position and only one on the dipped position. It invariably happens that the defective lamp is on the driver’s side. To a driver approaching in the opposite direction this appears to be a headlight of an oncoming motor cycle, with the resultant danger to both vehicles colliding on account of misjudgment of clearance when passing. Owners of vehicles with this type of headlight are requested to check over their vehicles and replace any defective bulbs, and in this way help to make the highways safer during hours of darkness. At the same time, it may be explained that the type of dipping by which the rear light is extinguished while the parking lights remain showing complies with the regulations,