To Drive At Night (1976)

[Music] [Music] [Music] driving at night requires a driver to modify normal daytime driving Maneuvers and habits as a result of reduced visibility in darkness visual conditions at night are always poor even a full moon doesn't provide sufficient light we depend on our headlights as the main source of light during most of our driving but it's a mistake to think that the amount of light they give even on high beam is enough to provide good visual efficiency they direct beams of light only straight ahead and offer little help in lighting off-road areas headlight on low beam are effective for about 150 ft and high beams are only effective for 350 to 500 ft there's really only one answer on any road whether it's familiar or not and that's to not overdrive the headlights or road conditions this means maintaining a speed that permits stopping within the distance illuminated by the headlights even on high beam the headlights do not always illuminate the road ahead their effectiveness is greatly reduced on hills and un [Music] curves during daylight hours the world is full of color and the color contrast makes objects stand out so that they're easy to recognize at a glance at nighttime except for colored signs and lights we drive in a black and white world and images become blurred and lost in the Edge of Darkness the loss and visibility and contrast at nighttime reduces our depth perception and this greatly affects our Judgment of distances and speeds for example in this demonstration which of the two cars parked ahead of us is the furthest away let's drive up and see during the daytime you would be able to better judge the distance of these cars regardless of the size and spacing of their tail lights now which of the two cars approaching us is traveling at the higher speed one car is going 15 M an hour faster than the other a big difference when we're basing the decision to pass or make a left turn on the speed and distance of oncoming traffic we should modify our driving to allow a greater margin of safety for every driving maneuver at nighttime then would be acceptable during daylight when following another vehicle we should allow a greater space cushion between our vehicle and the other and watch the tail lights to detect changes in distance or actions of the other driver our own head lights on the main source of visibility on Rural roadways and when we are not following or approaching another vehicle they should be kept on high beam this extra sight distance is important when traveling at highway speeds in all urban areas low beam headlight should be used at all times when starting from a well-lighted area a common error is forgetting getting to turn the headlights on this means you're operating without headlights or tail [Music] lights whenever we start out at night we should make it a habit to flick the beams up and down to be certain the headlights are [Music] operating in all driving the headlight should be used from the time the day starts to turn to dusk until sunrise even when the lights may not help the driver lighting the road they make a vehicle more visible to others at a greater distance headlight should also be used during extremely dark days or inclement weather at no time of dusk Dawn or Darkness should you drive with just your parking lights as this driver is doing they are designed for Park cars they are not driving lights and they are totally inadequate while driving in getting giving a good visible warning to other drivers at any hour of the day or night dirty headlights that have built up a layer of light robbing dirt in Road oil can seriously reduce your visibility the way to get the most illumination and visibility from your headlights is to keep them clean many drivers have doubts as to when to dim their lights for an approaching vehicle the time to dim them is as soon as you see the head head lights of the other vehicle when following another vehicle the headlight should be dimmed as soon as his tail lights are visible at no time should your headlights be on high beam when you are following a vehicle at a distance of 500 ft or [Music] less other times when headlight should be kept on low beam is during heavy traffic during conditions of rain or fog your low beams will better light the right edge of the roadway to guide you fog and heavy rainfall can diffuse your highbeam headlight rays and reflect them back into your eyes headlight should also be dimmed when an animal or pedestrian is cited on a rural road and speed should be reduced to prepare for evasive action the glare of Bright Lights can blind and confuse them and cause them to enter the path of your vehicle actually blinding glare is one of the main hazards of nighttime driving that make it necessary for us to modify our normal daytime driving techniques especially the blinding headlight glare from oncoming Vehicles we should drive in the lane that separates us most from approaching traffic we should focus our attention on the right hand edge of the roadway beyond the oncoming vehicle to avoid the bright glare of his headlights it takes our eyes at least 7 Seconds to readjust after passing a pair of brilliant headlights we actually travel for a distance when we are effectively blind if an oncoming driver doesn't dim his lights don't retaliate keep your lights on low beam slow down and focus your attention to the right side using the road Edge or pavement Edge stripe as your guide steer toward the right to avoid the natural tendency to drive toward oncoming lights when partially blinded by them when weather conditions are bad blinding glare is even more of a hazard visibility through the windshield is greatly reduced images become distorted and hard to recognize and remember the drivers ahead of you behind you and approaching you may be having difficulty in seeing too a dirty windshield both inside and outside can also be treacherous not only is visibility reduced but Road oils smoke dirt and car wash wax can cause intense glare and Distortion of the clues we look for to help us drive safely with limited visibility You Can't See Clearly everything you need to see to drive safely and the effectiveness of your headlights are greatly reduced there are other ways in which we can help to avoid glare while driving at night when being followed by a vehicle with bright lights switch the daylight rear view mirror to the night position and avoid looking directly into the mirror avoid using the dome light the map light or flashlights within the car adjust the instrument panel lights to a lower intensity leaving it just bright enough to read the critical instruments sunglasses or tinted glasses should never be worn from early dust to Sunrise our daytime driving habits have to be modified if we are to drive safely at nighttime during the daylight hours our eyes scan a wide area in front and toward the oncoming traffic every action far ahead can be quickly seen and recognized at nighttime the scanning pattern of our eyes is different we focus closer to the car and to the right side of the road we no longer have the wide Clear Vision and contrast of color we must concentrate on watching for dark objects and shadowy movements in and beside the road especially the unexpected objects which we see only half as well as familiar or expected objects in urban areas with the conflicting glare of signs and lights it is even more difficult to see hazards or pedestrians in and along the roadway speed should be reduced and the road in the curbside watched for the unlit pedestrians and objects there are Road AIDs that have been designed to give us quickly recognized Clues and guides for safer nighttime driving it's important that we learn what these AIDS are meant to tell us aids to channel us into a safe driving pattern Lane markers to guide us on multiple Lane highways and pavement Edge markings to define the right edge of roadways and many of the disadvantages of night driving we can make up for ourselves by modifying our driving techniques to conditions of limited visibility nighttime is a time to drive more slowly than we would under similar circumstances during daylight it's a time to dim your lights for others and avoid the glare of their headlights by focusing on the right side of the roadway at night it's e even more important to be certain that headlights and windshield are clean it's a time to know and use the special Road AIDs that are designed to guide you when you're limited to the visibility provided by your headlights the time to modify your driving techniques habits and know the additional actions that are required when driving at night [Music]