What Is an Automobile Headlight?
By William Urbanski
According to the best scientific knowledge available, the planet on which we live is perpetually flying around in outer space, orbiting a giant star called the “Sun.” In addition to our planet’s regular and roughly circular “orbits” of the Sun, it is also forever spinning around on its axis (an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to Antarctica). The consequences of all this rotating and spinning are many. For starters, it gives us the seasons. It is also responsible for the Coriolis effect which in turns governs weather patterns. One of the most surprising outcomes is that for roughly half the day (depending on the aforementioned seasons), any given point of the earth’s surface is pointing away from the Sun and shrouded in darkness.
To those who enjoy whizzing around Gwangju in an automobile, this poses a humdinger of a conundrum. It is hard enough to drive around during the daylight hours. Just imagine how difficult it must be to cruise around the city streets without the advantage of being able to see what the heck is going on outside! The City of Gwangju has tried to rectify this problem by installing a vast infrastructure of so-called “street lights” that illuminate the roadways. But there is another, oft-forgotten solution to the problem of lighting the roads on which cars travel: the humble automobile headlight.
Headlights: Giant Flashlights for Your Car
When most of us think of lights, we think of the switches that activate electrically powered bulbs in our homes and schools. Most of the time, these work great, but they have the distinct disadvantage of not being attached to the front of automobiles to light the roadway.
Unbeknownst to a great deal of car enthusiasts in our fair city, virtually all automobiles come equipped with a set of heavy-duty and really bright lights that can be used to light the area in front of the car. But here is the crux: They are only effective if they are actually turned on.
How to Turn on an Automobile Headlight
My personal contention is that the difficulty of finding and activating an automobile’s headlights stems from the fact that in most cars the switch that controls it is located on the same stick-like mechanism that engages the turn signals.
To locate the headlight activation switch, one must simply look behind the steering wheel and to the left. There is a rod, measuring approximately 15 cm, protruding from the steering column (the thing the steering wheel is attached to). At the very tip of said rod, there is a twistable part with a picture of a light on it. All you must do is twist it forward and voila, the headlights should come on! If you are unsure if the lights have come on or not, there are two ways to check. The first is to look for an illuminated, crude picture of a headlight on the dashboard. Second, you can look through the windshield to the front of the car. If the road ahead is lit up, there is an excellent chance the headlights are on!
Do not get too caught up in all this fancy jargon such as “dashboard” and “windshield.” The main thing is to find the switch and twist it. I would strongly encourage any and all drivers to take a few minutes to practice turning the lights on and off. It is easy and fun!!
Be the Light You Wish to See in the World
It is clear that turning on an automobile’s headlights is very beneficial to the person driving the car. It lights up the path in front of the car, making it far safer to drive when the sun is not shining (or if we happen to be driving in abnormally shady places). But there is another very compelling reason to use the headlights: It makes the car more visible to other cars and pedestrians! Truly, when it comes to inventions that make driving safer and better, the automobile headlight is right up there with turn signals and seatbelts. But again, none of these marvelous inventions work by magic, and the driver must take special care to learn how to operate them.
New Year’s Resolution
I know it has become very trendy and a sign of social status to drive around Gwangju at night without turning on the car headlights, but it is worth reflecting on the benefits of using the headlights each and every time the car is in use, even during the day and especially during the night. If you are having trouble deciding on a new year’s resolution, let 2024 be the year you stop driving your car around in complete darkness. Turn on those headlights! You can do it!
The Author
William Urbanski is a firm believer in the use of car headlights and turn signals to improve society as a whole. He owns a car but rides an electric bike to work.