Kathleen Hodgini recalls driving during a storm recently to her home town of Waynesville, Missouri, some eighty miles south of Columbia. The trip usually takes ninety minutes, it took her more than two hours that day.
She worried not about her own driving ability, but about the people around her. Not everyone in Missouri turns on their headlights in bad weather.
State Representative Philip Smith says, "I am interested in this issue because there are a lot of people on the roads who cannot see in bad weather."
The Louisiana, Missouri, lawmaker along with State Representative Joan Barry, of St. Louis, is sponsoring a bill that would make it a requirement to turn on headlamps whenever windshield wipers are in use.
Hodgini says, "Most of the driving I do is on back country roads, and there are usually very few cars on the road, but it is still very hard to see other traffic, especially when the weather conditions are poor."
Smith says, "I decided to support a bill like this after I learned of a similar bill being passed in Illinois early in 1995. One of my constituents brought it to my attention..."
Right now, the legislature is closer to making this bill a reality. In late January, Smith brought the bill up for a hearing before the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulations Committee.
Smith says "[the committee] was very receptive, but whether or not the bill will get out of committee right now is up to the chairman."
But Larry Thomason, the committee's chair, says things are not looking good for the three year-old bill.
"It is not the idea of the bill that is keeping it from getting passed, it is just that it does not have that much impact in comparison to other bills brought before the committee."
The Kennett, Missouri lawmaker says that he can not think of a anyone on the 15-person board who opposes the bill.
He says "In the grand scheme of things, it isn't the most important bill that has reached our committee this year."
Although the bill may get the brush off again this year, A Columbia traffic officer says that having drivers use their headlights during bad weather is beneficial in more ways than one.
Officer Lyn Woolford says "Imagine trying to see a gray car on an asphalt road, it is hard to judge speed and distance. Using headlights in bad weather would increase [a driver's] ability to see approaching traffic and to judge distances."
Thomason does offer a suggestion that could turn this bill into law.
The chair says, "What I would like to see is for this bill to be re-written (and) rolled up with others regarding motor safety. There are several before the committee that are all very important, but none of them can stand on their own."
Several car manufacturers have taken the initiative to solve the problem without legislation by installing day time running lamps, or D-R-Ls. The lamps shine whenever the motor is on, making it easy for other drivers to spot the oncoming car.
Car owners with D-R-Ls pay about three dollars per year to power the lamps.
General Motors spokesman Kyle Johnson says "This feature is especially effective on overcast days, in rain, fog and snow, and at dawn and dusk. But because they are more attention-getting, D-R-Ls can also help in urban areas filled with distractions, at high noon, and with young drivers."
Johnson is G-M's spokesperson on legal and safety issues. He says that even if your car isn't equipped with D-R-Ls now, you can get them installed.
"There is a significant consumer interest in this feature. G-M dealers offer kits to retrofit cars and light-duty trucks with D-R-Ls for about 50 dollars plus installation."
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