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Beware of monsters in the moonlight
publication date: Oct 24, 2008
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author/source: Stuart Birch
Clocks are wound back an hour at 2 am Sunday, which means that the nights will draw in and hordes of one-eyed monsters will be prowling the darkness.
The monsters are vehicles with one failed headlight - and road safety organisations are stressing the danger they present. "Sadly, it is far too evident that many motorists are not checking that both of their vehicle's headlights are working correctly," said Rick Wood, Head of Driver Training at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and who added, "At the start of every journey, drivers should ensure that each headlight is working and adjusted correctly."
The easiest way to do that is by looking for the headlights' reflection in the rear of a vehicle ahead, or against a wall or fence. Warned Wood: "Sometimes, headlights - not parking lights - need to be used even before official lighting up time. If you find it difficult to see others, they will find it difficult to see you."
Vince Yearley, Director of Communications at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said that cars with only one headlight working could easily be mistaken for a motorbike - a major danger when overtaking. And Sheila Rainger, Head of Campaigns at the RAC Foundation, added that a vehicle with only one working head or tail light could be almost as dangerous as having no lights on: "There are thousands of dim motorists on our roads."
However, changing a failed headlight bulb on a modern car may not be a quick and simple matter. Andrew Howard, Head of Road Safety at the AA, explained, "For some cars it means a visit to a dealer.
"But drivers do need to check their headlight bulbs and to remember they can be committing an offence by not having correct lighting; and they are now driving into the prime point of the year when police forces will be carrying out vehicle lighting checks."
Ford is amongst companies aware of the need to make bulb changing as easy and simple as possible. A spokesman said that an owner of its latest models could do so with just a modest amount of digital dexterity.
Audi explained that there are instructions in its handbooks that enable customers to replace dipped and main beam halogen bulbs and halogen tail light bulbs themselves: "We do, however, stress within these instructions that a certain degree of practical skill is required to effect these replacements, particularly where bulbs that are only accessible through the engine compartment are concerned. We also stipulate that xenon bulbs should only be replaced by qualified Audi technicians."
So don't be a Cyclops this winter.
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