Night driving is not a super fun experience, especially if it’s after a full work day and all you want to do is go home and straight to bed. Rarely you are on the only one on the road, and if you leave work at 5PM you can be sure to hit the dreaded, stop-and-go rush hour traffic which will make the ride even more of a drag. Below you will find a few tips to make your nightly commute a little less worrisome and a lot more safer.
Image by osseous
Adjust Interior Lighting
Turning your dash light on is essential for night driving; you need to be able to see how fast you are going, and be aware of the engine turnover rate just in case something is off. But be careful that the lights aren’t too intense; the extra bit of brightness will cause eyestrain and can also be highly distracting. Almost all cars come with a dimmer that allows you to control the intensity of the light; play around with it until you find the perfect setting for your eyes.
Don’t Believe the Hype
Don’t buy into the fad of yellow sunglasses. The idea behind infomercials purporting the supported effect of yellow sunglasses is that the yellow tint enhances contrast, which can help your eyes distinguish objects in the dark. But if the skeptic in you is questioning that line of thinking, you’re in good company; there have been no conclusive studies done on the effectiveness of yellow tints, and the Sunglass Association of America has confirmed that they offer no addition help except maybe a placebo one, causing you to “think” you can see better. Glasses, whether they are prescription or not, actually further hinder the eyes ability to process light, so if you do not need them to see while driving, take them off.
Keep Clean!
Finally, if you find that your windshield and mirrors seems sparkling clean by day and disgustingly dirty at night, do what a professional detailer would do; grab a newspaper and gently polish the glass to remove residues that are invisible to our eyes by day. However, never touch any glass surface with your hands; your skin produces oil that will smear the glass, causing intense glare.
If you keep these tips in mind, you will be able to be more aware of your surroundings; something so important for driving at night. And who knows, maybe you’ll stop dreading that night time commute so much.
