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Your Driving and the Road
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Dyz'ving
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Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day
driving. Oqe reason is that some drivers
are likely to be impaired
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by alcohol or
drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Don't drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to
reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
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Since you can't see as well, you may
need to slow down and keep more
space between you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher
speed roads. Your headlights can
up only so much road ahead.
light
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In remote areas, watch for animals.
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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.
You can be temporarily blinded by
approaching lights. It can take a second or
twQ, 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.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on
your vehicle clean
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inside and out.
Glare at night is made much worse by dirt
on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty
glass makes lights dazzle and flash more
than clean glass would, making the pupils
of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlights light up
far less of a roadway when you are in a
turn or curve.
Keep your eyes moving; that way, it's
easier to pick out dimly lighted objects.
Just as your headlights should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so
should your eyes be examiqed regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness
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the inability to see in dim light
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and
aren't even aware of it.
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