Night Time Driving

As the winter nights begin to draw in we should all take a little time to make sure we are safe as possible when driving in the darker conditions.

Firstly making sure our vision is as good as it can possibly be so that any details are seen as quickly and accurately as possible, such as road signs and markings, and potential hazards.

In poor light we all lose some colour recognition, depth perception and peripheral vision levels, this worsens as we get older. So it is worth thinking about an autumn eye check, update any glasses if needed (for improved vision and to replace scratched lenses) and include an anti-reflection coating on the lenses such as Crizal to reduce glare from light sources.

Other problems for the eyes while night driving come from the windscreens, make sure they are cleaned regularly inside and out with the appropriate cleaning fluids (avoid any waxy cleaners that are used on the rest of the car’s paintwork, these make the screen smeary and ‘blinding’ when oncoming lights shine on them). And always allow the demister to do it’s job fully before setting off, our eyes cannot compensate to see through a frosty or misty window, and if the sunshine or bright light streams though that fogged window it will completely obscure any vision of the road.

With all the dirt thrown up off the roads it is also worth remembering to clean our lights on the cars, front and back, to maximise our visibility and ability to be seen.

Give your eyes the best chance of getting you home safely.