What’s driving at night like to you? Some say the night driving experience is fun, while others feel it’s risky. Either way, one is prone to drive at night at one point or the other. The human eyes have an extent to which it can see and can be terrible at seeing at night with depth perception, peripheral vision, and ability to distinguish color diminished. Although headlights illuminate the road, typical low beams stretch from 160 to 250 feet in front of your vehicle, while high beams shine about 350 to 500 feet ahead. When you’re driving at 60 mph, it takes more than 200 feet to stop, so there’s not much room for error.
Here are a few night driving tips.
Clean Your Windshield
During the day, it’s easier to drive your car even without paying much attention to the windscreen except on rainy days, but for a night drive, this shouldn’t be taken any lightly. The dirty windshield seems annoying but less harmful during the day, but it can cause blinding glare when sunlight and headlights hit it just right. Dust that you might not notice during the day can build up on the inside, so it’s important to clean your windshield both inside and out.
Aim Your Headlights Correctly
A beam tilting down in excess can cause you to lose some of the illuminations you need while driving. But if they tilt too high, they can blind oncoming drivers. It is important that you correctly aim your headlight as it could also affect other road users if not properly managed.
Look In The Right Direction And avoid Distractions
While you should always keep your eyes on the road, avoid a fixed gaze, and avoid staring at oncoming headlights. When approaching an oncoming vehicle, avoid being blinded by its headlights by shifting your eyes down and to the right, using the right edge of the road or lane markings as a guide to staying on track. Lift your gaze back up when you’ve passed the oncoming vehicle and avoid every form of distraction as taking your full attention off the road is a bad idea and can result in great danger.
Slow down
Night driving requires slower speeds than daytime driving. This is because visibility is much lower at night time compared to day-time. Seeing and reacting to traffic hazards, pedestrians, and other obstacles take a much longer time due to your inability to control the types of hazards you’ll encounter on your drive, it is best to drive slower, giving yourself more time to react to any problems you come across. Avoid an out-of-town drive of your headlights that is, to drive so fast that you can’t stop within the distance illuminated by your headlights in front of you.
Use high beams when necessary
High beams can be very helpful in rural areas or on open roads. Just remember to dim them when you’re within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, so as not to blind the oncoming driver temporarily. Also avoid using them when following another vehicle.
Watch Out for Animals/ Wildlife
Driving at night sometimes comes with encountering nocturnal animals of varying sizes. It takes a special skill to cause your headlights reflected in the eyes of an animal. When encountering a large animal, the best strategy is to slow down as quickly as you can without exiting your lane or driving off the road.
Wear the right glasses
Choosing the correct glasses to wear is crucial to improved nighttime visibility. Prescription lenses with anti-reflective coating will be a wise choice for driving. The coating stops additional, unnecessary light from reflecting inside your lenses while allowing more light to pass through.
Don’t Drink and Drive
The dangers of drinking and driving are always fatal and could be worse at night than during the day. Don’t put yourself or others at risk by driving under its influence. Use defensive driving techniques and keep an eye out for signs of drunk driving, especially after dark.
Be Extra Careful
Drowsy-driving crashes are most likely to happen between midnight and very early in the morning ( before the break of dawn). It is important to note that there may be sleepy drivers on the road. Stay alert and be extra careful. Involve in relaxing activities like listening to cool songs, having a nice conversation amongst other activities that can make you stay alert.
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