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Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these
differences increase. A 50-year4d driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision.\
For example,
if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses.
Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re driving,
don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare \
from
headlights, but they also make a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It can take a second
or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’\
t lower the high
beam, or a vehicle with misaimed headlights), slow down a little. A\
void
staring directly into the approaching lights.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean
- inside and
out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside
of the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights
dazzle and flash more than clean .glass would, making the pupils of your
eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlights light up far less of a roadway when you
are
in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s \
easier to pick out
dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlights should be checked regularly
for proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers
suffer from night blindness
- the inability to see in dim light - and aren’t
even aware of it.
Driving in the Rain
Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road you can’t st\
op,
accelerate or
turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as
on dry roads. And, if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll get even
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if your tires haven’t much
tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water
is standing
on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” the water’s surfa\
ce, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn’t a hard and
fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice
is to slow down when it is
raining.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Turn on your low-beam headlights - not just your parking lights - to
help make you more visible to others.
Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And \
be
especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more
clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road
spray.
Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See “Tires” in\
the Index.)
City Driving
I
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on
them. You’ll want
to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay
attention to traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety
in city driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city\
map and
plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for
a
cross-country trip.
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