Driving at night really does put you in more danger. You don’t see hazards as clearly. You may be around more drunk drivers and drowsy drivers. Your reaction times suffer. Young drivers, in particular, tend to simply feel more nervous and uncomfortable because they are not used to driving in the dark, and it can lead to car accidents.
To stay safe, make use of these tips every time you take the road at night:
- Clean your headlights frequently. Getting a car wash can actually keep you safe.
- Adjust your headlights, so they are correctly positioned for maximum visibility.
- Do not look directly at the cars coming toward you, or their headlights can ruin your night vision.
- Turn down your dash lights; they can also ruin your night vision and make it harder to see outside of the car.
- Clean off both the inside and the outside of your window. The inside often gets streaks that you can’t see during the day, but they show up when they catch the light at night.
- Buy anti-reflective glasses. These cut down on glare.
- Driver slower to give yourself more time to stop in an emergency. You never want to go so fast that you overrun your headlights, or you won’t be able to stop even when you do see hazards.
- Stay alert. Remember that you have limited visibility. Double-check for potential issues and obstructions in the road.
Doing all of this can help, but it does not mean you will never get into an accident. When other drivers are not safe at night and you get injured in a crash, you may be able to seek financial compensation.