Driving in darkness
For starters, when you are driving at night, your visibility is greatly reduced (whether you like it or not). This is why there are headlights on cars…to help you see better. However, even headlights and high beams will not prevent you from getting into an accident. For example, if you are driving on a highway at night, you are typically traveling at a higher rate of speed. Therefore, if someone else has dropped or dumped some piece of debris out of their vehicle, chances are that you won’t be able to see it until you are almost right on top of it. The same goes for animals. Most of the accidents that people get into while driving at night involve collisions between vehicles and wild animals such as deer.
Depending on the area of the country that you live in, deer present a unique problem to drivers. On more than one occasion, I have had to perform an evasive maneuver in my car while driving back from work or classes at night in order to avoid striking a deer with my vehicle. The encounters with deer are almost always unexpected and terrifying, which is why it is even more important that you pay attention to what it is you are doing while you are driving. For example, when I drive at night, I usually keep my music and/or the radio turned down so that I can heighten my senses to both hear and see what is going on around me. I can hear the screeching sounds of tires from another vehicle, which may indicate that I am about to get struck, or I can hear the sirens of an approaching ambulance or police cruiser that may not yet be visible. Little things like these are important in preventing an accident as well as simply being more aware of your surroundings.
When driving at night, always choose a well lit, well traveled route. Avoid deserted stretches of road or highways- especially if you are alone. Make sure that your cell phone is fully charged and that the area you are driving through is one that you are familiar with. Whenever I would leave work late at night or if I was running late, I would make sure that my boyfriend knew where I was and how long I would be, this way he wouldn’t worry. Also, I let him know this just in case something happened.
Along with the notion of night driving, drivers should also be aware of those pedestrians who choose to fit in their exercise at night. Though it is not usually recommended, sometimes our schedules simply do not allow us enough time to do our exercise during the day, which is why we fit it in when we can. Those who exercise outdoors should always wear lightly colored, reflective clothing as well as carry a flashlight. All of these things help passing motorists see you well in advance and will allow them to exercise more caution when passing you.
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