DRIVETIME MAHATMA: Wipers on? Headlights, too, is law

Dear Mahatma: How can we get people to turn on their lights in the rain? Flashing signs should be set up to remind drivers that when it's raining and their wipers are on, their headlights have to be on, too. -- Sharon

Dear Sharon: The best way to make sure people turn on their headlights in the rain is to stop them, drag them from their vehicles and flog them mercilessly with a rolled-up copy of Arkansas Code 27-36-204, "When lighted lamps required," which says lights must be on when wipers are in operation "for clearing or cleaning rain, snow, or other precipitation from the windshield because of inclement weather."

No, there isn't an exemption in the law for people who use Rain-X or some similar product.

Really, there are two reasons for insisting on headlights while using wipers. The first is to enhance visibility for the driver. The second is so people can better see you, dim bulb.

Failing a flogging -- who has a handy copy of the legal code? -- we recommend buying a new car with headlights that are on all the time, or which has a feature that turns on headlights when wipers are engaged.

It never hurts to flash your lights at oncoming drivers whose lights should be on.

Two more suggestions, neither original but both valuable.

Keep full the reservoir of windshield washer fluid, especially in the winter, which this is. And never drive with snow, ice or frost on the exterior windows. Clear all windows before driving.

Dear Ma: Lines, reflectors and stripes -- oh my! On most of the major interstate highways in central Arkansas, it has become nearly impossible, especially in the rain, to see lane stripes and pavement markers, as well as those ingenious reflectors. This is a serious safety problem. Are there plans to make fixes and replacements, or are these safety features an endangered species? -- Flying Blind

Dear Flying: Here is more than you ever wanted to know, courtesy of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

The paint used for striping is paired with little-bitty, teeny-weeny glass beads the size of a grain of sand. The paint goes down and the beads are immediately laid on top of the paint. The glass beads are, of course, reflective. Unfortunately, when there is heavy rain, the water can be deep enough to rise over the stripes, inhibiting reflection.

In its defense, the Highway Department reports it has more than 16,000 highway miles to take care of. It has six paint-striping trucks with crews all across the state, four to six workers per truck. The crews are on the road 52 weeks a year, putting down about 3,650 miles of marking per year.

Hey, Flying, want to report a stretch of road that needs re-striping? Go to iDriveArkansas.com, put your cursor over the contact button, and click on Report a Problem.

Vanity plate seen on a pest control truck: 6LEGSUP.

Mahatma@arkansasonline.com

Metro on 01/16/2016

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