Burn headlights when using wipers

femuse · 11-20-2004, 04:41 PM

Burn headlights when using wipers:

I thought I spoke English good enough to be able to read highway signs in North Carolina. My husband thought he did too, even though he was born about 600 km away, in New Jersey.

We always chuckle when we reach the NC boarder and read the highway sign: "Burn headlights when using wipers". All other Sates have something like "Use headlights with wipers", or "turn on headlights ...".

A police report would read "stopping the vehicle for failing to burn headlights." :D

Other people found that amusing, as shown bellow - a warning given on a Forum to an English fellow member:

"Ride safely, have a wonderful time. Carry some lighter fluid :D for whenever you enter North Carolina, because that state warns incoming two-wheel types that 'Motorcycles Must Burn Headlights.' "

It sounds like a left over from lamps & carriages days, we guess maybe from England?

Is it, or was it used in England for car headlights [phares] ? if this is the case, how did that survive in such a limited geographic area?

Every country has expressions that exist here and not there, but this is an "official" sign, stating the law on the book in NC, not a weird saying your cousins living 100 km away are using.

11-20-2004, 04:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
femuse Senior International Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 209 femuse is an unknown character at this point	Burn headlights when using wipers Burn headlights when using wipers: I thought I spoke English good enough to be able to read highway signs in North Carolina. My husband thought he did too, even though he was born about 600 km away, in New Jersey. We always chuckle when we reach the NC boarder and read the highway sign: "Burn headlights when using wipers". All other Sates have something like "Use headlights with wipers", or "turn on headlights ...". A police report would read "stopping the vehicle for failing to burn headlights." :D Other people found that amusing, as shown bellow - a warning given on a Forum to an English fellow member: "Ride safely, have a wonderful time. Carry some lighter fluid :D for whenever you enter North Carolina, because that state warns incoming two-wheel types that 'Motorcycles Must Burn Headlights.' " It sounds like a left over from lamps & carriages days, we guess maybe from England? Is it, or was it used in England for car headlights [phares] ? if this is the case, how did that survive in such a limited geographic area? Every country has expressions that exist here and not there, but this is an "official" sign, stating the law on the book in NC, not a weird saying your cousins living 100 km away are using.
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