Top 5 Dangers of Driving at Night

As the nights draw in and rush hour becomes darker, the roads become a lot less safe, particularly for older drivers and glasses wearers. ROSPA estimate that 40% of road traffic collisions happen during nighttime hours. Whilst you can’t guarantee how others will behave, there are ways for you to be safe on the road. Here are 5 of the biggest threats to road safety this Winter & how you can combat these dangers.

Compromised Night Vision

Night vision is what gives us the ability to see in low light situations. As we get older, we begin to have greater difficulty in seeing at night. For example, a 50-year-old may need double the amount of light that a 30-year-old would need to see at night. In order to combat this in any immediate situation, minimise the distractions around you as much as possible and avoid driving at high speeds. If night driving becomes more difficult, book an eye test immediately as older people can develop cataracts which can contribute to glare.

Fatigue

Brake, the road safety charity, estimates that one in six crashes resulting in death or injury on major roads was caused by fatigue of at least one party. Not enough sleep radically affects driver attention, levels of awareness, reactionary reflexes and ability to control a vehicle, as observed by the Road Safety Observatory . Several factors can cause driver fatigue, including lack of sleep, time of day, stress, irregular sleeping patterns or medication. Unfortunately, modern life puts a lot of pressure on us and can lead to fatigue, but we can combat it with a few different methods. Seven to eight hours of sleep is recommended, and drivers should take at least a 15-minute break every two hours. Drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee or coca cola reduce tiredness over a short period of time but it is not effective for long periods of time.

Rush Hour

No one likes to drive during rush hour, but that’s what makes it even more dangerous. Rush hour in the UK is categorised as between 6am-9am and 4pm-7pm. Everyone is in a hurry and tired from the long work day. Now that the sun is setting earlier, rush hour in the evening is particularly dangerous. In order to stay safe the most important thing to do is stay calm. Getting stressed will just amount to road rage, which leads to dangerous driving.

Clean Your Windscreen

Darkness already makes driving difficult, but if your windscreen is dirty you will get added glare that obstructs your vision. In order to effectively clean your windscreen, clean half of it at a time and wipe first in an upwards motion using a microfibre cloth to remove the glass cleaner, then a horizontal motion towards the edge of the windscreen before swapping the cloth for a new one to buff the windscreen in small circular motions. This method will help you to avoid glare and drive safer.

Driving with the Wrong Lenses

When driving, we obviously spend most of our time looking forward, but your eyes also need to shift quickly between different directions and distance. When looking from the road to your SatNav, or from your mirrors to the dashboard, focusing and refocusing can prove to be difficult especially for older drivers. EnRoute lenses can prevent reflections and the uncomfortable glare that you may get from regular lenses.

If you wish to stay safe this Winter, make sure to get your EnRoute lenses today. You can download your voucher here to get them for just £60 extra: http://d36.co/13Sjb