[May 25, 2013] EDITORIAL: Blinded by the light Tweet May 25, 2013 (Richmond County Daily Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Among all of the unnecessary bills bouncing about in Raleigh, and the time-wasting legislation jawed about among the General Assembly, there is a modest bit of proposed legislation we believe makes perfect sense. From one of our sister newspapers, The Robesonian, comes word of a state senator looking out for our safety on the roads in NC. The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill that makes it a crime to install and use vehicle headlights that are not approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The bill's primary sponsor is a senator who represents the counties of Robeson and Columbus who said the legislation is about safety. Sen. Michael Walters told The Robesonian that he introduced the bill after receiving a "tremendous" number of complaints about the blinding effects of bright and off-color headlamps of oncoming vehicles on drivers. "They asked me if something couldn't be done," Walters said. Walters said he and other officials have worked with the automobile industry during the current legislative session to come up with a solution to the problem. "The automobile industry is satisfied with this bill," Walters said. "... It requires that any headlamps installed must have 'Federal DOT' stamped on them." A violation of the bill's provisions would result in a $100 fine. Wording of the bill includes: "No person shall operate a motor vehicle that is equipped with any headlamps that change the original design or performance of the headlamps, and do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Standard No. 108 as adopted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." The bill passed the 50-member Senate by a vote of 47 to 0, and moves to the House for consideration. Nice to see a bit of common sense from lawmakers, and consensus, for a change. It does boil down to safety, and providing an even playing field where one vehicle doesn't outshine another to point of being harmful and dangerous. And with more and more aging Baby Boomers driving at night -- who already struggle with clear vision -- we can do without the white-hot blast from blinding oncoming lights making the task of driving after dark even more problematic. ___ (c)2013 the Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, N.C.) Visit the Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, N.C.) at www.yourdailyjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]