How to Drive Safely During the Night?

Many of us need to drive under poor condition, such as wet or icy roads. The problem can be more complicated if we also need to drive during a foggy, night. When it is approaching dusk, it is important for drivers to be conscious about the condition. They should know that their cone of vision is no longer as wide as in daylight. During dusk, it is important for drivers to allow their eyes to get accustomed to night driving. Even with well-functioning headlight, it is more difficult to see what’s ahead. Typically, drivers should maintain lower speed during the night. It is also safer to no overtake other cars too often and this could be performed, when the road is well-lit and there’s no obstruction for hundreds of yards ahead.

 We shouldn’t expect that people will always wear light-colored clothing during the dark. Dark objects and people with black clothing can blend with the darkness of the surrounding. They will be visible only with enough lamination and at closer distance. This is another reason why we should drive slowly, so we are able to avoid these dark-colored objects. Some cars are equipped with night vision feature that’s projected to the windscreen. This could be a potentially useful feature in rural areas that with non-existent lighting on the road. However, for many drivers, they can’t count on this kind of capability, especially if they are using affordable, low-cost cars. Peripheral vision could also become limited during nigh driving. This is a factor that we need to consider.

In this case, it is important to make sure that our vision can become much more efficient during the night and it is more about eating carrot each day. The most important factor to consider is that our eyes gradually adapt to different levels of light intensity. In well-lit streets, our eyes will become more accustomed to brighter lights. Eventually, we could find that we are in a road that has no lighting infrastructure. It will take some time for our eyes to proper adapt to this situation.  Night driving requires more significant mental and physical capabilities. We need to have proper adaptation to our surroundings. This is an essential thing that we need to do. It is actually easy for us to underestimate distance during night driving.

Road signs are less visible during the night and this is one factor that we need to properly consider. As an example, the road sign may warn us about specific road conditions up ahead. It is dangerous to drive faster at night, especially when the road has abrupt sharp turns after a long stretch of straight lane. One important trick is to follow the car ahead. We should maintain longer distance with the car in front of us during night driving. If the car in front of us seems to turn right, then we should be prepared for turning right as well. It is also important to avoid smoking, because the tobacco smoke will hamper our visual acuity. The thin layer of sticky substance could develop on the windscreen, further reducing visibility and increasing the glare.