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Tips for Driving Safely After Dark
When driving at night, motorists must adjust their driving to compensate for limited visibility. A driver's eyes cannot gather the same information they do during daylight hours, making it harder to drive safely.
Drivers do have help: headlights that have high and low beams, mirrors that adjust for glare, and road markings and signs that are brighter at night when headlights hit them. However, none of these can replace careful driving. Let's look at a few tips for driving at night.
Use headlights wisely
Headlights illuminate only a small part of the road in front of your vehicle. Low beams light about 150 feet in front the car, and high beams illuminate approximately 350 to 500 feet. Play it safe—drive more slowly and don't overdrive your headlights. Especially decrease your speed around curves so you can see at least five seconds in front of you. This will give you enough time to see and react to objects in your path.
Turn your headlights on
For many years, experts recommended that drivers turn on their headlights from dusk to dawn. Manufacturers are now installing daytime running lights on most vehicles because headlights improve vehicle visibility throughout the day. If you do not have daytime running lights, simply turn on your headlights whenever you start your vehicle. And be sure to turn on your headlights, not your parking lights.
High and low beams
High beams are best on isolated roads when there are no other drivers to disturb. High beams should be dimmed to low beams as soon as the headlights of an oncoming vehicle or the taillights of a vehicle in front of you can be seen. Also, pedestrians and animals can be blinded or confused by a vehicle's high beams, placing them and you in a dangerous situation, so proceed with care.
Resist the urge to retaliate if faced with an oncoming vehicle not dimming its high beams. Since you are about to pass the vehicle very closely at a significant speed, the last thing you want to do is blind them too.
Glare
Glare is a problem for all drivers. It takes about seven seconds for your eyes to adjust from the glare of an oncoming vehicle, and up to a minute for your eyes to readjust if you are blinded by high beams. To reduce the effects of glare, stay in the farthest lane away from oncoming traffic, look toward the right edge of the road, and avoid looking right at the glaring headlights. Place your rearview mirror in the night position. Also, lowering your inside dashboard lights can help your eyes readjust to the low light outside.
Glare can make it difficult to see people and objects that may stray into your path. Always look beyond oncoming vehicles to see what's ahead, such as shadowy objects moving near and in front of the headlights of other vehicles.
Night driving means checking to make sure your lights and vehicle are in proper working order for night driving, using your headlights wisely, watching the road ahead and reducing your speed so you can reach your destination safely.
E-mail your questions or comments to editor@colorado.aaa.com.
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