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Wednesday, March 06, 2013
The National Safety Council (NSC) says that traffic death rates at night exceed those during the day by as much as three times. Unfortunately, many are still in the dark about the hazards of night-time driving. Some are clueless about ways to properly handle such situations.



Tips for Driving Safely At Night
What's so dangerous about night driving? The darkness, of course. Drivers' reactions are largely hinged – about 90 percent – on vision, which is substantially limited in the evening. Once sundown hits, color recognition, peripheral vision and depth perception get compromised.
It's even more difficult to see at night if you're an older driver. A 60-year-old driver may require two times more light to be able to see clearly than someone who just pushed 30.
Traffic mishaps that prove fatal are often the result of alcohol consumption. Alcohol plays a part in nearly half of the deaths listed that are related to motor vehicles use. An even greater number of fatal crashes happen on weekend evenings than at other times during the week.
Fatigue is yet another factor that makes night driving more dangerous. If you're drowsy, your concentration is dulled, which then causes you to react slower.
The good news is there are several measures you can take to effectively reduce such after-dark perils. All these have to do with getting the car ready and following certain guidelines while driving.
  1. Prepare the vehicle for evening drives. Keep tail lights, windows, signal lights and headlights clean – inside as well as outside.
  2. Never mix drinking with driving. Alcohol significantly impairs driving abilities and acts like a depressant. Even a single drink can trigger fatigue.
  3. When in doubt, turn on the headlights. The lights won't help make things more visible during early dawn or twilight hours, but they will go far toward making other drivers see you on the road. It's just as important to be seen as for you to see.
  4. Avoid overdriving the headlights. The illuminated area should be enough so stop there. If you don't you could create a blind crash spot in front of your car.
  5. When oncoming vehicles fail to reduce the beams from high down to low, you can avoid the resulting glare by doing this: watch the road's right edge and use it as guide while steering.
  6. If car trouble strikes, make sure to pull the vehicle off the road at a significant distance. It is best to set up reflecting triangles close to the car (about 300 feet at the back) right away to alert approaching traffic of your situation. Turn both the dome light and blinkers on. If you have any additional flashlights, safety lights, or reflective gear in your car use them. Put on reflective safety vests or apparel  for added protection when leaving your vehicle. And put  any lights you may have on flashing mode outside your car (or on your hood). Get passengers out of the car and away from the site and stay off the road.
  7. Headlights should be aimed correctly. Improperly aimed headlights can blind other car drivers and limit your ability to visualize the road.
  8. Don't smoke while driving. Night vision is hampered by carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke.
  9. Reduce speed and raise the following distances. It's tougher to gauge vehicular speeds as well as distances when the sun is out.
  10.  When behind another car, maintain headlights at low beams so the driver ahead isn't blinded by your light.
  11.  Stop frequently for exercise and light snacking. If you are tuckered out, take a break and rest for a while.
When the sun sets, it's time to observe some night drive safety measures. Dusk is one of the toughest times to go driving. Your eyes have to constantly adapt to the growing darkness so it's definitely a challenge to keep seeing clearly at night. Take care when driving at sundown. If you have anymore tips please share them with us.

P.S. We are now offering our car distress light at an additional 20% off. Please use coupon code SafeDriving

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