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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