Show tight ight driving knowledge needed to lo prevent after dark accidents by JULIEN 11 II HARVEY manager national conservation bureau this is the seventh of a series of 10 articles on street and highway safety written by 11 nationally a recognized accident prevention specialists and published in this newspaper in the interests of greater traffic safety sponsored by the morgan lions club j the hours of darkness are the i dangerous for both motorists nd ind pedestrians despite the fact hat more than half of f the annual 3 umber lumber of hours are d delight light and hat traffic is lightest ligh lightest teft between midnight and d dawn awn the nighttime fleace death ra rate te continues to exi bcd ed daytime rate year after year the reasons for this are well known to safety specialists if 1 rivers will loam learn them too and adapt their driving habits to comat the special hazards created y darkness much human tragedy nl id economic waste can be pre anted visibility is a vital element in jafe fe driving at all times at night it must be provided by proper set reet lighting and proper driving sits in times past the measure lent ent of good street lighting was nought to be the amount of candle ac ower at the light source and the umber ber of lights on a given road 3 ay Y now however engineering lecia lists have established as fact it at our chief concern should be IV le e road surface ur face brightness and its eat on the visibility viability of an object ak no modern street lighting is thus hf ing eing designed in accordance with U A t knowledge obviously adequate street and lighting is basic and es cs noial to the safe operation of our ito mobiles on their surf surfaces aces how er r for visibility on hundreds hundred S of loui and ands S of miles of road where effic I 1 density does n not ot ju justify types of highway lighting g we w it depend on headlamps head lamps indeed e must rely on efficient head ehat T at all times when properly acu modern modem headlamps head lamps of the L baled I 1 ed beam type provide safe afe na 8 conditions for night driving 1 9 addition a wise mot orrt plan his vehicle operation in an entirely different way than when he drives during the day one of the first rules of night driving is to remember that however well lighted the road and however powerful the headlights visibility is always lower at night decreased visibility naturally demands decreased speed it is most important for motorists to resist the temptation to speed at night even though traffic may be very light there are other very definite darkness hazards besides other cars pedestrians may be walking on the highway there may be an unlighted cd bicycle or horse drawn vehicle even an unseen stone or road depression may t throw brow a speeding automobile from the highway the following precautions are recommended by safety specialists when approaching a curve or hill bill speed should be reduced to the point where the motorist can easily stop within the range of his headlights temporary blindness caused by the glare of approaching headlights is a frequent cause of death and injury at nig night bt when confronted by dazzling headlights the motorist should keep his eyes fixed on the side of the road away from the glare and at the same own a lower beam intoxicated drivers are a special nighttime night time hazard studies have shown that between 76 7 and 91 01 per cent of accidents involving drinking drivers occurred at night many night time street and highway accidents happen in the vicinity ty of roadhouses dh and night clubs and it is necessary to be on the alert for both motorists and pedestrians if possible a window should be kept open for better circulation of air and for better hearing A clean windshield and crystal clear headlight lenses are c estial ent ial no city or town can afford to be without proper street lighting E every citizen can help reduce accidents by seeing that adequate I 1 lighting is provided in his community and every mo motorist can make it III hi individual to drive at night |