Shorter days donโt just mean cooler temperatures and colourful leaves. They also mean more time driving in the dark.
Whether youโre setting out at sunrise or heading home at dusk, driving in theย fallย means you are making theย transitionย from long to short days. Driving with limited daylight and in theย darkย has risks. While sunrises and sunsets are beautiful, they also mean youโll have sun directly in your eyes or reflecting off a mirror. It can be blinding, at worst, and causeย fatigueย and distraction.
- Dim your dashboard lights to reduce interior light
โข Keep your windshield and mirrors clean and streak-free
โข Reduce your speed and increase the distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you
โข Donโt overdrive your headlights to avoid creating a blind crash area in front of your vehicle.
โข Look about 20o to the right, away from oncoming headlights
โข Keep your glasses clean; if you get new prescription glasses, consider an antireflective coating
If you are no longer a spring chicken, youโve probably noticed that driving at night is different than it once was, particularly the halo effect around streetlights, traffic lights, and headlights.
On average, a 50-year-old driver needs twice as much light to see as well after dark as a 30-year-old. Thatโs because, as we age, the eye muscles that react to limited light by widening the pupils donโt work as well as they used to. Your eyes also donโt react as quickly to oncoming lights; during the moment of adjustment, you lose some ability to see. If you see halos around lights, or they appear to โbloom,โ it could indicate an eye issue developing, such as cataracts. Get it checked out.
Besides theย fatigueย that comes with eyestrain, itโs natural for your body toย demandย sleep when it gets dark. Make adjustments for the changingย seasonย and rememberโlosing two hours of sleep has the same effect as having threeย drinks.
Remember thatย pedestriansย are adjusting to the changing season as well and may be tired, blinded by the sun on the horizon, or wearing a hat or earmuffs that inhibit their hearing. ICBC reports that more than 2,600 pedestrians in BC are injured by motor vehicles each year; 57 of them die. Nearly half of all pedestrian-involved collisions occur during four months, October to January, when driving conditions are at their worst. Fully 78% of these crashes happen at intersections. Among the contributing factors is weather, including the changing season.
Source: Safety Driven: Trucking Safety Council of BC
