- Follow These
Bright Ideas when Driving at Night
(ARA) – The number of
people killed in traffic accidents is three times higher at night
than during the day; and according to the National Safety Council
there’s a good explanation for that statistic. Ninety percent
of a driver’s reaction depends on vision, and vision is
severely limited at night.
 “A driver’s depth perception,
color recognition and peripheral vision are compromised after
sundown; and when you look into the headlights of an oncoming
car, you may even be blinded by the glare for a couple of seconds,
which can be dangerous,” says Crystal Reynolds Longest of
Wagner Lighting Products, which has been in the automotive lighting
business for decades.
Drivers have been complaining
about glare ever since electric headlights began replacing oil
lamps in automobiles more than 85 years ago. Recently, the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received thousands
of consumer complaints about the glare caused by high-intensity
discharge (HID) headlamps, which are now installed at the factory
in a growing number of vehicles.
Recognizing the need for change,
Wagner developed an alternative. TruView headlamps hit the market
in September 2003. “Our engineers figured out a way to filter
out yellow rays within the lamp’s projected color spectrum,
and the end result is a truer, whiter light that offers exceptional
visibility in nighttime driving conditions. TruView lamps do
not create the distracting bluish-white glare commonly associated
with HID headlamps,” says Longest.
Another benefit offered by
the TruView lights is that they illuminate not just what’s
in front of them, but the entire roadway.
Replacing your headlights can
make a big difference in the quality of your night vision, but
that’s not the only way you can improve it. Here are some
other simple steps recommended by the National Safety Council.
* Prepare your car for night
driving by cleaning headlights, taillights, signals and windows.
Even a thin layer of road grime on the lens can block up to 90
percent of the light and severely restrict your ability to see
at night.
* Make sure your headlights
are properly aimed. Misaimed headlights reduce your ability to
see the road and blind other drivers.
* Avoid smoking when you drive.
Smoke’s nicotine and carbon monoxide hamper night vision.
* Reduce your speed and increase
your following distance. It is more difficult to judge other
vehicles’ speeds and distances at night.
* Don’t “overdrive”
your headlights. You should be able to stop inside the illuminated
area. If you are not, you’re creating a blind crash area
in front of your vehicle.
- If you’re still uncomfortable
driving at night after doing all the things the Safety Council
recommends, make an appointment with your eye doctor. The American
Optometric Association recommends that everyone under the age
of 40 have a thorough eye exam at least once every three years;
drivers 41 to 60, every two years; and drivers over the age of
60, every year. Age makes eyes more sensitive to glare.
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-
- For more information about
Wagner TruView headlamps, log
- onto www.federal-mogul.com, or inquire at
your local retail auto parts store or repair shop.
-
- Courtesy of ARA Content
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ARTICLE POSTED JANUARY 13,
2004
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