Driving Safely at Night

If you’re going to be on the road after sunset, keep in mind that driving at night presents unique challenges that are absent during the day. The field of vision in a person’s eye is much smaller and depth perception less reliable without the benefit of natural light. Drivers also lack the benefit of color and contrast that are available in daylight.

Traffic death rates are three times as high at night as they are during the day, despite there being less traffic at night. One major factor is eye fatigue, which is a serious issue when driving at night. To prevent, or relieve, this problem, keep your eyes moving from side to side, and focusing from near to far ahead.
Here are some additional tips to help with night vision and road safety.

● Adjust to the darkness

Give your eyes some time to adapt to the dark before you begin driving. It takes a few minutes for the pupils to dilate fully, allowing the maximum amount of light to enter your eyes. The more light that your pupils let into your eyes, the stronger your vision will be.

● Avoid glare

Don’t look at oncoming headlights; instead, look toward the right side of the road and keep watching the white line marking the outside edge of the traffic lane. When the headlights from cars that are behind you reflect in your rearview mirror, adjust the mirror to eliminate as much of the light as possible.

● Use your lights courteously

Turn your headlights on an hour before sunset so that it will be easier for other drivers to see you in early twilight. Also, keep those headlights on for at least an hour after the sun comes up. Don’t flash your high beams at a car that has its high beams on, as this will result in both drivers blinding each other. In fog, use your low beams.

● Keep the car interior dark.

Turn off all the lights in your car’s interior. Any light inside the car will seem extremely bright and will make it harder to see.

● Slow your driving speed.
Reduce your driving speed in order to give yourself a longer reaction time if something unexpected occurs in front of you. It is advisable to increase following distance by four to five seconds while driving at night, in case you or the car in front of you must make a sudden stop.

● Tune up your car
Be sure to keep your car in top shape for maximum safety. This means regularly checking fluid levels, tire pressure and brakes. It also means thoroughly cleaning headlights, taillights and signal lights. And it means making sure all the windows are clean both inside and outside. (Dirty windows can increase glare, making it harder to see, and dirty headlights can lower efficiency by as much as 90 percent.)

● Wear anti-reflective glasses
Many eye care specialists recommend eye glasses that have anti-reflective (AR) coating. The ultra-thin film reduces internal reflections in the lenses. AR-coated glasses transmit more light than regular lenses, which improves vision at night.

Driving at night is never going to be as easy as driving during the day, but with appropriate adjustments, you can set your sight on a safe arrival at your destination.
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