Drive In The Dark Safely With These Six Tips

Daylight savings time ended just a couple of weeks ago and while gaining that extra hour of sleep was nice, the tradeoff is that we lose an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. That means that the sun goes down long before most of us head home from work. As a result, we now have to get used to driving in the dark after months of daylight waiting for us at the end of the day. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you readjust to regular nighttime driving.

1.) Dim Interior Lights – It may sound backward, but extra light in the interior can actually negatively affect your ability to see the road. Make sure that all of the interior lights are off and dim the level of brightness on your dashboard so that the lights your eyes focus are the ones shining on the road.

2.) Keep Your Eyes Moving – Driving at night is tricky because the shadows play tricks on your eyes, making it difficult to see other objects. However, focusing too much on one specific point will actually make your eyes more tired and thus affect your depth perception. Therefore, make sure to keep constantly scanning the road to be on the lookout for any possible hazards and to keep your eyes more alert.

3.) Keep Headlights Aimed Properly – Many of us take for granted that are headlights are aimed properly and don’t think to check them periodically. It is important to make sure that they are focused properly in order to ensure optimal visibility at night.

4.) Don’t Follow Too Close – Keeping a proper following distance is defensive driving 101 and something that we all should be doing whenever we get behind the wheel. However, when you are traveling in the dark it is smart to increase that driving distance by a few extra seconds as an extra precaution.

5.) Clean Your Windshield – A clear windshield is essential, especially at night. All of those smudges and streaks may not be noticeable during the day but at night they will be glaringly obvious, not to mention distracting. One way to make sure that your windshield is good and clean is to wipe it down with a newspaper.

6.) Nap When You Can – When the sun goes down it tends to make us more tired which can lead to drowsy driving. If possible, try to avoid this by getting in a power nap during the day so that you are more alert and refreshed when you are heading home.

Dee, Sarah. “6 Tips for Driving Safely in the Dark.” Autoblog. N.p., 02 Nov. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016. <http://www.autoblog.com/2016/11/02/6-tips-for-driving-safely-in-the-dark/>.

 

 

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