Ten Essential Safety Guidelines For Driving During the Night
Traveling through the night supplies many of us with very different issues than those experienced throughout the day; we reduce the benefit of color, contrast, peripheral vision and depth perception, making journeys much more hazardous. It is not only tougher for us to identify hazards, it is also more difficult for other people to spot you. Traffic death rates are three times higher through the night than throughout the day, yet a lot of us are ignorant of the strategies that may be used to cope with these conditions successfully.
* Make sure that all of your exterior vehicle lights work properly before setting off on any journey.
* Keep your front lights and windows clean; dirty car headlights can decrease effectiveness by as much as 90%, whilst unclean windows can increase glare, which makes it harder to see.
* Turn your lights on one hour prior to sunset and keep them on as a minimum one hour after sunrise. This will make it easier for other drivers to see you in the twilight and dawn light.
* Keep your eyes open for pedestrians, bike riders and motorcycle riders, particularly those who are not wearing bright clothes or do not have lights. You should take additional care when driving past cinemas, theatres, pubs and clubs – especially at closing time.
* Make certain you drive at a speed that enables you to stop inside the distance you can see. Driving quickly at night is more dangerous than in daytime due to decreased visibility; always make sure that you have enough time to stop if you notice something dangerous on the highway ahead.
* While driving, keep searching for flashes or beams of light at curves, the tops of hills and junctions which may indicate the headlights of another vehicle coming towards you.
* Always use your dipped beam while driving in metropolitan areas. Feel free to use your full beam on other roads, but you must remember to dip them when there’s someone in front of you or coming towards you.
* Avoid flashing your full beams at a driver who’s travelling towards you with their full beams on; this will only raise the risk that both of you won’t be able to see.
* If you are dazzled by the lights of an oncoming driver, slow down and glance down to the nearside of the road to the kerb or the line marking the outside edge of the traffic lane. If you are dazzled by the lights of a car driving behind you, alter your rear view mirror to cut out as much of the light as you possibly can.
* Increase the distance that you would commonly keep between your car and the car ahead; allowing a 4-5 second gap will give you more chance to spot potential problems plus more time to respond.
* Night driving can be quite tiring, so ensure that you take plenty of breaks to allow your eyes time to recover. Take a short nap or a brisk walk, or have some caffeine to help you stay alert.
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