ge (08/20/82)
Having good night vision, I do not need to drive with headlights at night. Yet I am forced to buy cars with headlights, to use them at night, and at inspection time to have them in good working condition. Of course, using headlights improves your night vision somewhat, BUT SOME PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO USE THEIR HEADLIGHTS, even at their low price. The choice is clear and many, many people would prefer to take the risk rather than pay the price of reaching over to turn their headlights on. That's their choice, and in a 'free country' people are free to take risks, despite the apparent foolishness of such behavior. Individuals are FREE TO FAIL, free to do foolish or stupid things. The desire of millions of purchasers of automobile to NOT purchase the non-optional headlights is clear. Millions are being forced to purchase things which they do not want and will not use even after being forced to buy them. The more consistent advocates of using such force claim that we ALL suffer. What about the difficulty I have in seeing when blinded by others' high beams? With my headlights out, I am not imposing on their ability to drive, so how do we ALL suffer? The Constitition does not require us to use headlights. Mandatory headlight usage is the result of fluffy-headed knee-jerk bureaucrats who believe that they can legislate 'better' behaviour. They are the ones who have given us speed limits, headlights and airbags. Europe has shown us that they can do without these things: if they have an automobile mortality rate three times as large as ours, it's because the Frogs and Krauts can't drive anyway!
mickey (08/20/82)
(Minor Flame) I hope the person who never wants to use their headlights is never in their car at the same time as I am. I DON'T want to meet you on a dark rainy night! I have always felt that everyone should have their headlights on a sunset, not for the driver, but for the rest of us that have to see you out there (pulling out of blind alleys, etc.). I have had Q-H lights in my car ever since Mass. made it legal, long before the rest of the uncivilized states, and I will continue to use them AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. My scariest moment of 15 years of driving is when I attempted a u-turn on what I thought was a deserted street, only to have some JACK-ASS miss me by inches at 50 MPH because I had NO IDEA he was behind me. The decision to use seatbelts or airbags or helments is appropriate enough for discussion, but just keep your headlights on. (for the rest of us!) (Flame off)
jj (08/20/82)
This article on "Restrictive Headlight Laws" is one of the most blatant attempts at misdirection that I have ever had the opportunity to see. 1). The premise fails on a night with overcast sky's, for example. Are you responsible enough to stay off the roads them. 2) Are you willing to assume the responsibility if someone hits you while you are driving around in the dark? It IS your responsibitily to be seen as well as see. (Check it out, that's absolutely right.) Such a person might be turning on the road that you are driving down in absolute darkness and get hit, and quite justifiably argue that: "HE (I am presuming gender for linguistic reasons.) WAS ATTEMPTING TO BE INVISIBLE, AND HE SUCCEEDED, I HIT HIM. IT'S HIS FAULT" This is a clearcut case when the person without headlights forces the other person to make a mistake. (i.e. entrapment of a sort) While this arguement can be extended to extremes, and result in the current legal system<which, by the way, is what happened> the ability to entrap a person must be limited in some way. As one may notice, I have not even commented on the need for headlights. I will leave attacking absurdity to the rest of the net. Cherio rabbit!jj
ark (08/20/82)
My father once told me that when he learned to drive, it was ILLEGAL to have your headlights on inside New York city limits, even at night. The presumption was that the street lights were good enough that headlights were a liability. I know that in driving into NY through one of the tunnels, I always turn my headlights off in the tunnel (one is supposed to do that), and frequently forget to turn them back on again once in Manhattan -- the street lights are so bright that it is difficult to see if they are on or not. Then, on the other hand, there is Sweden, where headlights must be on all the time your engine is running, day or night. This is probably because there is so much dusk in Sweden. Cars made in Sweden for sale there do not have headlight switches.
wagner (08/21/82)
Come on, guys, I think it is pretty obvious that the original article was sarcastic. Notice that the text was indented - I would guess it was edited with berkmail from the original. Michael Wagner
djh (08/21/82)
Who needs a Constitution anyway! The colonies got along fine without one for many years. Let freedom ring! sorry
ralph (08/23/82)
A quicky on headlights: Leave them on ALL the time. The Toronto Transit Commission did a 1 year study a few years back. They had half the bus have their lights on all the time, the other half only during rain or at night. Busses were randomly selected (indepented of driver, etc.) for lights/no lights. How hard is it to hit a bus is broad daylight? SIGNIFICANTLY easier if it doesn't have its lights on! All busses in Toronto have their lights on all the time. I have my Q-H lights on all the time. The only time I have come close to hitting other cars, the other car has been black or grey without its lights on, usually in rain. I wear seatbelts, but I would rather not use them ralph hill ...!decvax!utzoo!utcsrgv!ralph
kiessig (09/21/82)
#R:utcsrgv:-53500:fortune:1500002:000:263 fortune!kiessig Aug 25 17:47:00 1982 And then there was person who was stopped during the energy shortage in 1975 for driving with no headlights at night. When the officer told him to get his lights fixed, the gentleman said, "Oh, my lights work fine. I was just conserving energy." Rick Kiessig