ROAD SAFETY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26198, 8 July 1946, Page 4

ROAD SAFETY

CHECK ON LIGHTS OFFENDERS TO BE PROSECUTED Commenting upon the continued prevalence of accidents after dark the Commissioner of Transport (Mr G. L. Laurensou) emphasised that wrongly adjusted headlights and failure on the part of drivers to dip their lights when meeting other traffic contributed very greatly to the difficulties and dangers of night driving. “Representations have been made to me repeatedly, even by the motorists’ own organisations that all offending drivers should be prosecuted forthwith,” said the commissioner, “ but I had hoped that car owners would take heed of warnings and would check their lamps to make sure that their lights would not dazzle.

“On hearing the reports of the Transport Department inspectors, however, it is apparent that many drivers are not heeding these warnings, and dazzling lights are still prevalent and they are costing us lives,” Mr Laurenson said. “I have accordingly given instructions that organised checks upon headlights be made on all busy Highways. Where lights are not correctly adjusted, where there is no proper dipping device, or where the driver fail to dip, the inspectors will issue traffic offence notices and the department will prosecute the offender. The traffic inspectors will have the necessary equipment and will be accompanied by departmental vehicle inspectors who are expert in checking these adjustments. This organised drive on headlights will commence next week-end and will be continued without let-up until these dangerously dazzling iights are eliminated. "The requirements are simple and it is an easy matter for the car owner to check the adjustments himself against his garage wall,” Mr Laurenson said. “Under no conditions, of loading may the lights tilt upwards above the horizontal when the car is on a level surface, nor should the beam deflect towards the right. In many models of cars a load in the back seat can tilt the beam upwards even if the beam is horizontal or deflected downwards when the car is empty. Car owners should therefore be careful to check this adjustment with the heaviest passenger loading in the back that they will have when travelling at night,”