Low visibility conditions at night are one of the major causes of car accidents. Statistics estimate that thousands of vehicle crashes occur due to poor visibility at night.
But as a motorist, it’s reassuring to know that you can play your part in keeping road carnage occasioned by low visibility down. This post explores some of the tips you can implement to improve visibility while driving at night.
Install a Roof Rack and Floodlight on Roof Rack
This is not something many motorists often give due attention to. Some drivers wrongly believe that a roof rack light is only suitable for vehicles with a proper roof rack.
However, installing a roof rack floodlight can go a long way in reducing car crashes at night before that you need to install roof racks on your Vehicle and if you own Suzuki’s jimny you need to install Jimny roof rack and after that you can use roof rack lights on it. The light allows other motorists to see the exact position of their car and make the necessary judgments to avoid collisions.
Moreover, many reputable car accessory dealers offer high-quality roof rack flood light at reasonably affordable rates. All you need to do is contact them with your vehicle make and model, then allow them to help you get the best roof rack floodlight for your car.
Understand the Signs
The very first thing to do even before adopting safe driving measures at night is to know the tell-tale signs that you’re experiencing difficulties driving in low visibility.
Here are some of the signs that the visibility conditions at night might be taking a toll on your road usage;
- Difficulty seeing oncoming traffic
- Difficulty seeing the lane markings
- A need to drive slowly
- Difficulty judging speed and distance
- Difficulty reading the road signs
Reduce Your Speed
We’ve just mentioned difficulty seeing oncoming traffic as one of the signs of poor visibility at night. Since you cannot see the vehicles approaching you, your best bet is to reduce your driving speed. This will help avoid fatal collisions.
Driving at lower speeds is the best way to compensate for poor visibility at night.
Besides helping to prevent traffic collisions, it will also allow you to see other road users better. You’ll also be able to read road signage with a lot of ease, which increases your ability to pinpoint your location.
Practice Good Headlight Habits
Headlights can ruin your experience on the road, especially while driving under deplorable visibility conditions. Headlights can have you misjudge the distance of oncoming traffic, thereby resulting in deadly road carnage. They could also impair your ability to see objects right before you, increasing the risk of accidents.
When approaching an oncoming vehicle, the conventional wisdom is to dim your headlights. High beams can disorient the other motorists and increase the risk of an accident.
And if approaching a car from behind, dim your headlights and increase the average following distance. Avoid tailgating the other vehicle, and certainly not with your headlights in full glare.
Last but not least, do not look at oncoming headlights. If an approaching car isn’t dimming its headlights, your best bet is to keep your eyes on the lane markings on the right side of the road until the other car has passed. Alternatively, look straight ahead as opposed to looking directly at the headlights.
Clean Your Windows and Mirrors
This is a no-brainer. A dirty windshield will only impair your ability to see other vehicles. So, the only solution is to clean the windows and mirrors thoroughly.
It’s easy to ignore a few dirt smudges on your windscreen during the day. But those dirt spots can become a huge deal when driving in poor visibility conditions at night.
As you clean your windows and mirrors, do the same to your headlights. Cloudy headlights can hurt their illumination, reducing the distance you can see while driving at night.
Dim Your Dashboard
Too much lighting from the dashboard can distract you while driving at night and possibly increase the risks of car collisions. These lights mainly come from the instrumental panel.
While dashboard light may not be a problem during the day, it can significantly disrupt your visibility at night.
Always turn on the night mode using smart electronic gadgets, such as GPS navigation.
Avoid Yellow-Tinted Glass
Glasses with yellow-tinted hues are marketed to improve contrast and reduce glare, possibly making them excellent for driving at night. However, there’s no scientific evidence to corroborate these claims.
Some experts believe that yellow-tinted glasses may impair your night visibility instead of improving it. That’s because these glasses diminish the amount of light entering your eye.
If you must wear eyeglasses at night, insist on those with an anti-reflecting coating. Such coating reduces the light that bounces around your eye lenses, which could otherwise impair visibility.
Never Drive While Impaired
After making all the necessary adjustments to your motor vehicle, it’s now time to turn the focus to yourself.
Traffic laws dictate that you should never drive while tired or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The risks of drowsiness increase significantly at night due to the dark outside conditions. That’s because your biological clock signals your body to relax at the onset of darkness.
So, always designate a driver if you feel drowsy, tired, or dizzy.
Final Word
The above-listed tips can make a huge difference when driving in poor visibility conditions at night. As a bonus point, remember to practice other road safety measures to reduce accident risks.
