The rate of accidents occurring at night is almost double that of accidents that occur during the day. However, that is not to mean that you should never drive at night. You just have to be triple keen and alert, drive slower and know your vehicle well. Driving at night is dangerous if you do not have experience or if you do not have several handy tips to assist you.
In this article, you will see five actionable tips that will get you safely there, where you are going.
Increase Your Following Distance
You can never drive bumper to bumper during the night, even when there is traffic. The bigger the follow distance the better because you can stop in time in case of anything.
When you follow too closely, you start making the drivers ahead of your and immediately behind you nervous. The driver ahead wonders what you are up to.
You may actually cause them to lose their focus. Besides, when you follow too closely, your headlights are reflected in the mirrors of the vehicle ahead and they may interrupt the vision of the driver.
Do Not Sleep Behind The Wheel
You must not sleep. The reason why many people choose to drive at night is because the temperatures are cooler and there are fewer vehicles on the road.
When doing long distance, the temptation to sleep will definitely crawl up on you. Do not close your eyes for a moment.
Take coffee, it will keep you alert. If you feel overwhelmed, stop the car at a safe place, set your alarm and give yourself just twenty minutes. Those should be enough to rejuvenate you.
Make Sure Your Headlights Are Working
Working headlights light up the way for you. Headlights also keep you visible to other drivers. If your backlights fail, chances of being rammed from the back are very high. Ok, the truth is, if you maintain your car well, the headlights will be working, but it does not hurt to be doubly sure. If it has been sometime since you drove at night, well, check the headlights. Also ensure that they are clean, no sticking grime that can distort the lights.
Stay Observant – Know Everything That Is Happening Around You
If you keep your eyes straight on the road, you will develop a serious fatigue, what with the headlights and all. Keep your eyes looking around, see what is happening on the sides and watch other drivers around you.
Anticipate their actions before they act. You should also know that if there are any drunk drivers, they will be driving at night, so keep a keen eye out for errant drivers on the road.
If you are driving in a populated area, or near farms, stay extra alert because in the dark, animals look like clumps of bushes. Children are also harder to see in the dark. Stay alert all the time and you will not hit anything, or anyone.
Slow Down
Maybe a piping hot dinner is waiting for you at home, but no dinner is worth dying for. Slow down when there are other cars from the opposite direction.
Things are not always what they seem at night. The last thing you want is to brush another driver’s side mirror as you pass. However, you can speed up if the road ahead is clear. If you come near populated areas, reduce your speed and stay extra alert watching everything.
Conclusion
Staying watchful and following traffic rules should be your prime goals while driving. Still, if you get into any traffic ticket for speeding at night, the first thing you should do is find an experienced lawyer to fight speeding ticket for you. A simple online search with traffic ticket lawyer near me can be good enough to find a qualified lawyer no matter what state you are from.
