It can be intimidating driving at night because things are not as clearly seen as they are in day. This is especially true when you are driving through stretches of land and country roads where there are no street lights. There are many things that you can do while you are driving and even before you go out to drive at night to make it much safer for you and the other drivers on the road and pedestrians around. Here are some very important this things to do and keep in mind while on the road at night.
If you know that you are going to be driving at night make sure that your windshield and car windows are clean on both of their sides. The simplest smears or smudges of dirt on a windshield can be caught by the lights from other cars which could seriously obscure your vision. If you didn’t plan on driving at night do your best to clean your windshield and windows to avoid this from happening while driving at night. Ideally you want to do your best to keep both your windshield and car windows clean all of the time on the inside and the outside. Driving at night or anticipating driving at night can certainly keep you motivated to do so.
The first thing to remember to do before you ever drive at night, and the day time really, is make sure that you are not too tired to not drive. Another good thing that I am sure you are already doing is using your high beans. Unless you are driving in very snowy weather where high beams actually hinder your vision further or there is oncoming traffic or a car very close in front of your car you should be using your high beams. This will make the dark street and area around it clearer for you to see. If you find yourself driving at night and someone has their high beams on while coming towards you in the other lane you soon fine this obscures your vision. Don’t panic, don’t look directly at the lights, this will further blur your vision temporarily after the car has passed. Instead, the best thing to do is to watch the road to your side, with the lines separating the lanes in your vision to help you steer the car correctly.
As long as you are not driving dangerously too slow a good rule of thumb to do when driving at night is to go a little bit slower than when you would on this same street in broad daylight. You should be able to stop and not come in contact with anything that is suddenly in front of your car if for every second your headlights is on an object to when your vehicle reaches it is no more than ten miles per hour for every second. This will help you access turns better and you’ll be able to stop better because you are not going as fast. In colder seasons go very slow when going over a bridge at night to avoid black ice. Unfavorable weather and night time are not a good match for driving. If the weather proves to be too bad just stay in. In addition it is important to know the way and where you are going at night. If you get lost and need to ask for directions it can be difficult if you are in an unfamiliar neighborhood that is questionable or out on a country road very, very far from people. At night make sure that you know where you are headed and how to get there.
Also it is worth saying twice, it is crucially important to make sure that you do not drive when you are at all tired. If you thought that you would be fine but find that you are tired then you should crack a window to let some cool air in the car to wake you up. If you truly don’t feel that you can be as alert as you need to be to drive pull over and take a power nap, if you are near a gas station pull over and get some coffee. It just isn’t worth it driving unsafe at night, or in the day time, for you or the people around your car.
