16. LIGHTS.
'THE WORST WAY TO FACE DRIVING IS TO DETEST IT'.
Indeed there are many reasons why a driver might not be enamoured at the thought of driving a motor car. For sure, one reason will be the excessive traffic on the road, getting worse by the day! The arrogance of all too many road users, or in-considerateness, neglect, in-competence or simply being oblivious?
The subject of lights on a motor vehicle - head, dipped, dimmed, full beam, side, rear, fog, spot-lights, reversing, flashing indicators together with road signs, warning flashing-lights and every other street light and supporting illumination, is sufficient to blind the best driver in the world. On this basis, why is it necessary having lights on a motor vehicle?
The necessity of a light, be it a candle, hurricane lamp, electric light or a match is seeing in reduced, natural light and at night, Not for any other reason is artificial light required. If a driver can see where he is moving he has not the need for supplementary light. Reference a car, the subject is split into two sections.
Firstly, it is attracting attention if a car is parked at night. Side lights are adequate because the naked eye has the capacity of seeing the stars. Secondly, head lights, equally, have just one purpose. Head lights are for lighting the road ahead so that a driver can see the road. The lights are not for any other purpose. When lights are not needed a drive is at fault if he or she fails to switch off superfluous lighting. So why do drivers display lights on a car when they are not required. The answer is because, generally, the drivers do not have any idea what lights are burning on their cars.
Do you leave your heed lights ablaze while re-fuelling; do you park with your light on, at traffic lights, closed level crossings, road works or any other delay on a journey? Do you use your lights during the day? There is every reason believing that the majority of drivers never cast a casual thought to this subject. What we are talking about is.....light pollution.
The human eye's adjustment is approximately a quarter-of-an-inch and the adjustment time can be as long as an hour. Imagine the problems a driver has trying to adjust his vision amidst a constant barrage of changing light intensity, half of which should not be visible. If drives can be educated, exercising more understanding and common sense, driving, at night, might become tolerable.
Light pollution never enters the heads of all those driver who never think of switching off their car's head lights when they are not required: on motorway, especially in a queue, and at all and any other time when artificial light is adequate. The argument of 'see and be seen' is not valid. A driver must not be un-necessarily blinded!
'In-competence, like every other vice, requires little motivation - it only requires a car!'