Driving A Car With Night Vision

These days, automakers are incorporating infrared technology on their car models for night vision. For instants, the German vehicle manufacturer BMW’s X5 is equipped with an infrared sensor on the center stack. It’s neat how far car technology has advanced. However, we all could use some tips on how to drive safely at night.

Driving in low visibility
Imagine driving at night on a poorly-lit road, with pedestrians crossing the street, a huge truck behind you and animals on the sidewalks that might dart in front of you at any time. We can all relate to this especially when the weather is nice, it’s mating season or crop harvest season.

Related: The Dangers of Swerving To Avoid Potential Car Accidents

Needless to say, poor visibility is a threat to safe driving. Our vision is affected, our ability to judge distances gets worse and all this leads to a lower reaction time. It can be dangerous.

With that said, here are a few tips for driving at night:

• Test your headlights. Before drive at night, make sure your headlights are working. If you notice one of the bulbs is out, replace it with a new one as soon as you can. Also, you can adjust your headlights up or down so that you can see more of the road in front of you. However, make sure that your headlights are not blinding approaching traffic, so they can see too.
• Wear the correct glasses. Sunglasses are great, but not so much at night. Glasses should help you see clearly, so make sure you’re wearing the correct pair.
• Clean your windshield. Newspapers are great for polishing glass. Try using them and window cleaner to remove residue off your windshield.
• Avoid staring directly at headlights. This could hurt your eyes and disrupt your focus from the road.
• Be aware and drive sober. This is the most important of all. Even when your headlights are working properly, you’re wearing the right glasses and your windshield is clean, you are still exposing yourself to danger if you drive impaired. You need to stay aware of your surroundings and avoid getting behind the wheel when you feel drowsy.

Related: Beware: Drowsy Driving Can be Just as Fatal as Drunk Driving

As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I suggest that you avoid late night drives when you can. If you must drive late at night, please be cautious. Despite the presence of technology helping drivers see better at night, other factors, such as driver behavior, still remain a threat to safety.