AAA TIPS FOR NIGHT DRIVING

MAY 31ST, 2022 | BILL VAN TASSLE, PHD

  • Avoid driving at night, if possible!
    • Everyone’s vision is poorer at night
    • And there are more impaired drivers on the road at night
  • Prepare your vehicle
    • Clean glass
    • Clean headlights
    • Clean sensors
  • Turn down dash lights
    • In the darkness, the less light in a vehicle’s interior, the easier it is for the driver to see outside of the vehicle.
    • When possible, adjust the instrument panel lighting to the lowest illumination necessary.
  • Electronic Devices- The glow from electronic device screens also reduces night vision
  • Drive at a speed such that you don’t “overdrive” your headlights
    • Your sight distance at night is limited to the distance lit by your vehicle’s headlights
    • Too Fast = insufficient room to slow down enough
  • Minimize the effects of glare caused by headlights of oncoming vehicles
    • Could look down and to the right, at the solid white line, just before the oncoming vehicle passes by your vehicle
    • Immediately as the other vehicle goes by, get your eyes back up and looking well down the road
  • Keep even more space around your vehicle- ahead and to the sides

Value of Corrective Eyewear

  • The most important sense used in driving is vision
  • Driving can be thought of as involving three basic steps:
    • Perceiving the road ahead - this is where clear vision comes in
    • Deciding on what to do based on what you perceived
    • Acting on your decision, such as changing your speed and/or steering into a different path
  • Clear vision can be viewed as the most important step
    • If you miss seeing something ahead, you don’t even make it to steps 2 or 3
    • You cannot avoid what you don’t see
  • “Reading” the road accurately is every driver’s most important function
  • That’s why corrective eyewear is so valuable
  • The better a driver’s vision and perception, the safer they will be on the road

LensCrafters offers personalized vision solutions for safer driving. Remember to show your AAA card at LensCrafters to save on your eyewear and eye exams.