4 Tips for Safely Driving at Night

© peshkova

Driving at night can be a real challenge.

And it can be downright dangerous. It’s important to understand how your eyes are affected by driving in darkness and to compensate while driving. Keep a few tips in mind and you should be able to reach your destination safely.

1.) Proper Glasses-

If you have to do a lot of driving at night, it may be a good idea for you you invest in some proper glasses to get an edge. Don’t waste your money on novelty glasses claiming to reduce glare.

All they do is reduce the amount of light your eyes get. That’s the exact opposite of what you need. Buy some prescription glasses with an anti-reflective coating.

Not only will they protect your eyes from distracting glare, they’ll let in more light.

2.) Don’t Stare Into Lights-

Have you ever heard that frontiersmen wouldn’t stare into their fires at night because it affected their night vision? The same principal applies to headlights. Don’t look directly into them.

If a vehicle with high beams is coming your way, try to focus on the edge of the road and don’t get lost in their lights. Your eyes won’t take nearly as long to recover their proper night vision.

3.) Dim Your Interior Lighting-

Use your dashboard’s dimmer switch to turn down its lights. Avoid turning on your overhead light if possible.

If you can’t avoid using your overhead, hopefully you can at least adjust it so that you (or the driver), cannot see the source of the light. Interior lighting cause dangerous glare and reflection that can blind a driver to the outside world.

4.) Keep Your Eyes Healthy-

If you do a lot of night time driving, it’s important to remember that your eyes need special attention. Your vision is already compromised at night, so make sure your eyes don’t have anything else working against them.

Get a comprehensive eye exam every year to keep your eyes in top working condition.

If you need to set up an appointment for an eye exam, give the staff at Spektacles a call at 760-452-2895.