The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that drivers are three times more likely to get into a fatal accident after the sun goes down. Driving at night means lower visibility, but that does not stop negligent motorists from taking unnecessary risks and putting your life and your children’s lives in danger.
While you cannot control any bad drivers sharing the road with you in Springfield, you can take steps to make yourself more visible and help yourself see as well at night as possible. Here are four steps that can help.
Keep your windshield and headlight clean
Dirt and streaks on your windshield can distort lights from the street and make it harder to see. Similarly, dirty headlights can reduce their brightness and affect visibility. Regular cleaning prevents these problems.
Maintain your headlights
Along with keeping your headlamps clean, make sure they are pointed in the right direction to maximize illumination of the road in front of you. If you drive an older vehicle, replace the lenses covering the lights if they have yellowed and become hazy.
Don’t light up your cabin
Modern vehicles have a lot of things that light up on the dashboard and brightly lit touchscreens. Having these on the high brightness setting can affect your ability to see through your windshield into the dark street. Keep the cabin illumination to a minimum.
Take care of your eyes
If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses to drive at night, do so. Avoid tinted lenses, even those advertised as helping drivers see better at night.
Following these suggestions can help you avoid an accident. But they cannot guarantee that you will get to your destination safely. Drunk drivers and drowsy drivers tend to be common at night. But even an awake and sober driver can make reckless decisions, such as speeding or tailgating, that lead to catastrophic injuries for you. You might need legal help getting the compensation you deserve.