Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!minow From: minow@decvax.UUCP (Martin Minow) Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Re: On another subject than mandatory seatbelt laws Message-ID: <371@decvax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 13-Feb-84 20:46:29 EST Article-I.D.: decvax.371 Posted: Mon Feb 13 20:46:29 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 15-Feb-84 03:51:48 EST References: <1655@hplabsc.UUCP> Organization: DEC UNIX Engineering Group Lines: 25 Dipped (low-beam) headlights are required in Sweden year-round. (Maybe all of Scandinavia by now -- I remember it was mandatory during part of the year in Finland. The law basically says that your lights must be on when you are driving. There were several reasons behind the law -- because of the angle of the sun, it is very hard to tell when twilight really ends and people dark-adapt quickly enough to just plain forget. Also, the low angle of the sun makes it awfully hard to see oncoming traffic if the sun is in your eyes and their lights are out. More importantly, they found it prevented accidents. Greyhound has found the same thing here, by the way. Another thing that is required in Sweden but forbidden here is headlight wipers. This cleans the headlights whenever you use the windshield washer. This is a wonderful accident preventer in the sloppy winter months in a country where every fifth car has studded snow tires. They are forbidden here because of a law dating back to the thirties that was passed to force use of sealed beam headlights. Martin Minow decvax!minow