Don't Be Afraid of the Dark When It Comes to Avoiding Accidents
At our Long Beach Auto Body Shop, we know that many of you hate driving at night. Scary part is fatalities are three times greater to occur after dark than during the day, while one a quarter of all driving is done at night, more than half of all driving deaths occur under the moon. Your depth perception, ability to distinguish color, and peripheral vision are all worse in low-light conditions. In addition, you tend to be much more tired at night. We can’t just wait for the sun to come up. So, instead, our auto body shop in Long Beach has provided some tips to help you master your automobile in the dark to avoid accidents.
Don't forget the clocks are going back Saturday night November 6!
Aim your headlights. Be sure that your headlights are aimed straight to refrain from distracting other drivers.
Aim your instrument panel and dash lights. If your lights are too bring on the inside, you could be compromising your forward vision. Dim them to help your eyes focus on the wheel.
Don’t wear the wrong glasses. Those yellow-lens glasses that were supposed to help you see better at night just don't work. They only make you think you see better. Ditch them.
Become a retina spotter. On dark country roads, animals are everywhere. An encounter with an animal can be fatal for all parties involved. Here’s the trick: You’ll see the reflections of your headlights in an animal’s eyes before you can see the animal. Look out for glowing eyes.
Don’t stare at oncoming lights. Bright light can seriously disrupt your concentration at night. Inside the car, your eyes are used to the dim glow of the instrument panel and the dark road. It is easy to become distracted. Stay focused.
Wipe your windshield with newspaper. Windshields that appear clean during the day may reveal streaks that can cause a glare at night. A quick wipe with newspaper will do the trick.
Blot on some fog lights. Fog lights help the driver see the road instead of simply lighting up the fog in front of the car. They’re aimed low because the fog itself often hangs lower than a few feet above the road. If they are aimed high, they’ll blind oncoming drivers.
Add auxiliary lights cautiously. When you really need to light up the night, auxiliary lamps will help with that department.
Clean and adjust your exterior mirrors. Dirty mirrors reflect the lights from cars behind you in a wider, diffused shape that can produce a glare in your eyes. Clean those guys!
Keep your eyes healthy. To reduce the effects of eye fatigue at night while driving, eye doctors often recommend keeping your eyes moving, scanning all around your field of vision instead of focusing on one area.
Now that you have an idea of what to do, don’t drive scared at night. If you run into some trouble, be sure to visit us at our Auto Body Shop in Long Beach. For more information, contact us at 562-426-2639.
