Maximize Safety when Driving at Night
- Posted on: Aug 30 2016
We all want to feel safe on the road. While we may not be able to control aspects like the weather when we must drive, we can improve our own safety and the safety of others by attending to our own needs. Here, we will discuss the ways in which night driving can be improved.
- Stay up to date on your vision screenings. Some people may get by with visiting their eye doctor every two years, but most benefit the most from yearly eye exams. If you have any distortion to your vision, or a diagnosed eye condition, you may need to have your eyes examined even more frequently. Clearly, the more clearly you see on the road, the safer you are.
- Individuals affected by diabetes are encouraged to maintain yearly eye exams. A healthy diet is also beneficial to eye health for the diabetic, since blood sugar levels are directly related to the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a condition of intraocular pressure in which vision may be lost.
- Your eye doctor is a great resource if you have difficulty with driving at night due to glare, halos, and other distractions. Even if you do not require vision-correcting lenses, it is possible to obtain special eyeglasses that have an anti-reflective coating that reduces glare.
- Cataracts can be a major problem for night driving, and even daytime driving. This is because cataracts cloud the lens. If you are considering cataract removal, talk with your eye doctor about replacing the natural lens of your eye with an aspheric lens. This improves contrast sensitivity, which sharpens vision.
- 40% of serious auto collisions occur near or in an intersection. This is especially relevant with older drivers. Vision problems aside, we can all benefit from looking closely in all directions before passing through intersections.
- The U.S. National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging encourages older drivers to give themselves plenty of time to travel when they plan on night driving. This organization also recommends that night driving be limited to nearby locations which the motorist knows well.
Driving at night presents hazards that may be especially disruptive to older drivers. If you plan to drive at night, be sure to follow the recommended safety measures.
Image courtesy of sephirot17 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Posted in: Eye Care