As part of a weekly series of motoring tips from Britain’s top advanced driver Peter Rodger, the road safety charity IAM (the Institute of Advanced Motorists) has published a set of top tips for driving in the dark.
As Rodger points out, the risk of being involved in a fatal accident is increased in the dark due to reduced visibility. All drivers should have regular eye exams to make sure that they are wearing glasses or contacts if necessary. You can also increase your safety when driving in the dark by following these tips:
Keep your lights and windscreen clean, to improve visibility as much as possible.
Use your main beam, but when other drivers are approaching you should dip your lights to avoid dazzling them.
Adjust your speed so that you can stop safely within the distance that you can see to be clear.
If you start to feel tired then remember that caffeine alone is not a fix. Take a break instead and have a 20 minute nap.
If an oncoming vehicle forgets to dip its lights then you can avoid being dazzled as much by looking beyond the lights and to the left.
Look at how the traffic ahead is behaving to gain clues about possible hazards which you can't yet see.
If it is gloomy in the morning, be sure to put your lights on.
