JUDGE CONDEMNS DIMMING LIGHTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 76, 21 June 1927, Page 1

JUDGE CONDEMNS DIMMING LIGHTS

“A DANGEROUS PRACTICE” COLLISION WITH TAR-MIXER “That the dimming - of headlights on motor-cars at night was the most dangerous practice in the-world.” was the opinion of Mr. Justice Reed in the Supreme Court yesterday. The case was one in which a motorcar collided with a tar-mixer on Beach Road. It was said the car’s lights were dimmed as another vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction, and the driver had not noticed the mixer on the roadside. His Honour said that years ago there used to be a by-law forcing motorists to dim headlights, and he had had a good experience of that fallacy while at the bar. On one occasion he defended a man who was charged with failing to dim his lights, and a. week later he killed a woman through no other reason than dimming his lights. He then had to appear for him on a charge of manslaughter. “As a car owner I object to dimming headlights,” said Mr. Rogerson, who appeared for defendant. He added that there was now a by-law requiring lights to be focussed correctly, and this had served to a certain extent to keep the main beam of light on the ground.