Vehicles with lights are easier to spot

I have read many of Lawrence Fury’s Daily Bee missives, most with mild amusement, but the one printed on May 25 concerning daytime headlights, definitely needs a rebuttal and not from a “safety cop” but from a concerned citizen. He states that “if you cannot see a moving car on a bright sunny spring day … then you don’t belong behind the wheel.” Mr. Fury, we are all still waiting for those bright sunny spring days.

I have three reasons to recommend that we do turn on the headlights any time we are driving.

In preparation for the CHaFE bicycle event on June 12, I have been riding a bike on the local roads as much as time and body allows. What I find is that when I am checking, and rechecking, my rear view mirror while I ride (I check the mirror every 5-10 seconds even though I realize that I am missing a lot of the serviceberry blossoms that I love) and I see a car in the mirror, dark vehicles are less visible than light colored vehicles, I have three to four seconds before it is upon me.  If their lights are on I have seven to eight seconds to react to the vagaries of the road and get in the most favorable position on the edge.  Those extra few seconds allow me to make any necessary safety adjustments.

Also, when I am driving I can see a car in my rear view mirror long before I can see the same car without its lights on. I firmly believe that knowing what is coming up behind you is better than being unaware.

Thirdly, after backing the car out of the garage the first thing Roxann says to me is “turn on the lights”.                                             

Nuff said?

In my unofficial survey, about a third of the daytime vehicles have their lights on. We can do better.

DON CHILDRESS

Sandpoint