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Your Driving and the Road
Since you can't see
as well, you may need
to slow down and keep
more space between you and other vehicles. It's hard
to tell how fast
the vehicle ahead is going just
by looking at its taillights.
Slow down, especially
on higher speed roads. Your
headlights can light
In remote areas, watch for animals.
up only so much road ahead.
If you're tired, pull off the road
in a safe place and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as
in the daytime. But
as we get older
these differences increase. A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night
as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example,
if
you spend the day
in bright sunshine you are wise
to wear sunglasses. Your
eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night.
But if you're driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlights, but they also make a
lot of things invisible that should
remain visible-such as parked cars, obstacles, pedestrians,
or even trains
blocking railway crossings. You may want
to put on your sunglasses after you
have pulled into a brightly-lighted service
or refreshment area. Eyes shielded
from that glare may adjust more quickly
to darkness back on the road. But
be sure to remove your sunglasses before you leave the service area.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It can take a second or
two, or even several seconds, for your eyes
to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn't lower the
high
beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlights), slow down a little. Avoid
staring directly into the approaching lights.
If there is a line of opposing
traffic, make occasional glances over the line
of headlights to make certain
that one of the vehicles isn't starting
to move into your lane. Once you are
past the bright lights, give your
eyes time to readjust before resuming speed.
High Beams
If
the vehicle approaching you has its high beams
on, signal by flicking yours
to high and then back
to
low beam. This
is the usual signal to lower the
headlight beams. If the other driver still doesn't lower the beams, resist the
temptation to put your
high beams on. This only makes two half-blinded
drivers.
4-24
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