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Your Driving
and
the Road
140
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.
On a freeway, use your high beams only
in remote areas where you won't impair
approaching drivers. In some places,
like cities, using high beams is illegal.
When you follow another vehicle on a
freeway or highway, use low beams.
True, most vehicles now have day-night
mirrors that enable the driver to reduce
glare. But outside mirrors are not of this
type and high beams from behind can
bother the driver ahead.
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