To the editor,

Let there be light!

Heavy rain, thick fog, snowstorms, darkness, we had it all this winter. And the worse the weather is, the more important it is to be seen. So, if you are driving, you turn your headlines on, right? But this no brainer is not what we are experiencing on our roads.

It sometimes seems as if some drivers are only willing to put their headlines on when they cannot see anything without them, or because they realize that it’s nighttime. Turning headlines on during daytime almost appears to be something obscene to them. Or do many drivers just not understand that being seen is as important as being able to see?

Is that why so many cars are being operated during times of really bad visibility, be it fog or rain or snow, without their headlights on? It seems that some drivers imagine they would save money or avoid wasting electricity by not turning on their headlights.

Some who realize that it makes sense to turn the lights on believe it is better to turn on just the position lights. Why? Because they think it’s cheaper? Or because they are too shy to drive with full lights during the day? Maybe they are afraid it might be forbidden. Maybe because they see that even the police cruisers don’t turn their lights on and the police should know, shouldn’t they?

Or is it the American way? In Scandinavia, for example, cars always drive with their headlights on, even during bright daylight in the summer and the more in the winter when everything is white. The reason is that it considerably increases visibility of the vehicle for others.

Apparently the car manufacturers know about the reluctance or forgetfulness of American drivers regarding turning on the headlights. Some newer car models have an automatic setting that turns on the headlights when it gets too dark and thus relieves drivers from the responsibility to make a decision on their own.

But in times of bad visibility during daytime, such as snow or fog, that often does not work. Drivers are still required to think and do it themselves. And they don’t. So you see white or silver gray cars on the road in fog or snow, or better, you barely see them. Dark cars also try to hide on dark roads or in cloudy weather.

And the solution would be so simple, wouldn’t it? Just turn your headlines on whenever you are in doubt, not the other way round.

Manfred Wiegandt

Wareham resident