BY KEVIN SAWYER – No one really enjoys driving at night, especially as we get older. Even with all of the great technology available to us, driving at night still poses many risks not normally faced during the daytime hours. Here are a few hacks and great strategies that just may keep you safe out there in the dark.
- No one ever checks their headlights. You need to check them like you check your tires. Also, get them regularly adjusted by your mechanic. They are the best technology you have on a dark road. Be awake. Don’t be drinking or eating or changing radio stations or talking on the phone. As in the day time, anything can happen at any time.
- Like your headlights, take a few minutes every week to actually make sure that your windshield is clean. It takes less than five minutes but could end up saving your life. Also, turn down the brightness of the lights inside your vehicle. Bright light from inside makes it harder to actually see outside. The light from inside of your vehicle actually damages your night vision so take a minute to turn them down.
- Deer are everywhere in many parts of the country. They are usually out just after dusk and just before dawn but are known to dash across a road in the middle of the night. Another great tip to remember about deer is that they are like mice. If there is one, there are seven.
- Stay away from everyone. Give yourself extra car lengths behind the driver in front of you when driving at night. Forget road rage. Forget slow drivers. Remember that you need to get home safely. There are people depending on you.
- Many people, actually most people, have trouble adjusting their eyesight when there is an oncoming vehicle with their headlights shining. It destroys your night vision to where you will never really get it back. It takes a good twenty minutes for night vision to kick in. So, rather than be staring directly at the oncoming headlights like the proverbial deer, shift your gaze to the right side of the road. Find that white line that separates the road from the breakdown lane and follow it. It will be easy enough to see.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay