Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Night Driving/Reduced Visibility

Driving in fog
• Driving in heavy fog is dangerous, and should be avoided if at all possible.
• Sometimes, though, conditions suddenly become foggy when you’re already
on the road.
• Your safest bet when visibility is greatly reduced is to pull off to the side
of the road and wait for the fog to lift. If you do that be sure to get your
vehicle as far off the road as possible and turn on your vehicle’s emergency
flashing lights so it doesn’t get hit.
• If you must keep driving in the fog, slow down! Also, watch carefully
for vehicles in front of you that may be moving at an even slower pace.
• Turn on your headlights as soon as any fog appears. Use the low
beams, rather than the “brights.” Your high beams, or bright headlights,
will throw light into the fog, making it even more difficult to see the road.
• Be sure to keep your headlights on, even if it’s during the day. They may
be the only part of your vehicle other drivers can see.
• Don’t stop in the middle of the road. And don’t use your emergency
flashing lights when driving.
• Use your windshield wipers. Also, turning on the defroster can help cut
condensation on the inside of the windshield.
• Keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and signal early if you need to turn.
• Use the right edge of the road as a guide to help you stay in your lane.

Nighttime driving
• Even if it’s clear outside, driving at night is more difficult for most people
than driving in the day. That’s because it’s harder to see road signs and other
vehicles. It’s also harder to judge the distance between your vehicle and others.
• Always use your headlights when driving at night. Turn them on half an hour
before sunset, and keep them on until half an hour after the sun rises.
• Using your “brights” or high beam headlights will enable you to see a
greater distance if it’s not a foggy night. But be sure to switch back to the
low beams as soon as another vehicle approaches so the driver isn’t
“blinded” by the bright light.
• Make sure your windshield and headlights are clean.

 

Courtesy of Gempler's