Your eyes are your best friend on the road. We all know that, even in calm, daylight driving conditions, there is a lot of danger out there to be accounted for. These dangers are amplified by the limited visibility of night driving. With all other conditions being perfect, you are still going to be limited to seeing just what your headlights can spot for you, so we all need to be extra cautious at night. Here are a few tips to that end:
Take Care Of Your Vision
Your eyes are among the hardest working parts of your body, and they especially need to be taken care of as we get older. When your eyes are feeling sensitive or blurry, here’s a quick tip: Rub your palms together, then hold them against your closed eyes for a minute to help ease the tension and strain from using them all day. If they’re dry, use eye-drops. Make sure your eyes are in good condition before hitting the road at night.
To that end, make sure that you get your eyes checked regularly along with your routine physical. Even if you already have prescription glasses, it’s a good idea to make sure that they’re up to date, as new vision impairments can develop at any stage of life, and more so with each passing year.
Keep The Glass Clean
You can use a newspaper to wipe down your windshield and get rid of that glare from oncoming headlights, but don’t stop at the windshield. Wipe down your rearview mirrors, side mirrors, glasses, windows, every piece of glass that you need in order to see.
Plan Around Your Driving Conditions
As a general rule: The more time you have to get there, the safer you’ll be.
You might not have the option of only driving when the sun is out, but if you have to be somewhere after dark, make sure to give yourself some extra time to get there. A well-lit route may take longer, driving slowly may take longer, but if you have an extra thirty minutes before you’re scheduled to arrive, no big deal. We all have GPS and online maps nowadays, and they have their uses beyond shortcuts and keeping us from getting lost on road trips. They can also help you to plan out the safest route.
Be Aware Of Additional Factors
Serious accidents can triple come nightfall, and when you factor in rain, snow, stormy weather, the risks skyrocket. Rain can be especially frightening because even once the skies have cleared, the roads are still wet. On rainy roads you’ll need twice as much stopping space before you hit the stop sign, meaning twice as much space between other cars on the road, as well. On the ice, you’ll need ten times your usual space to come to a safe stop.
Beyond all of these tips, regular car maintenance can help, ensuring that your brakes are in good condition and your fluids are topped off. Likewise, good driving habits may save your life at night. Defensive driving tactics, never driving tired or intoxicated and keeping distractions inside the car to a minimum. All those daytime safety habits you’ve developed will be just as helpful at night, if not more so. Take care of yourself, take care of your car, and take care of other drivers, and you have a better chance of managing the inherent risks and dangers of nighttime driving.
