Your vision at night is reduced not only because you are exhausted, but also a lack of light, which makes it tough for you to avoid possible dangers or other motorists. There is one great thing about night motoring, though, and that is less traffic on the streets, providing you with more liberty when driving.

Anytime you are about to take a drive in the dark you will want to verify your headlamps are dirt- free and running properly. It is a law for night driving that your sidelights and number plate lights be turned on. When checking your headlights you need to make sure they are aligned correctly so as not to annoy or distract other drivers. When you feel that your headlamps are not lining up you should have them tested and retuned by a professional auto mechanic.

If you are driving with a heavy load in the rear or boot of your car you also may find that your headlights are pointing too high up. Once again this can prove distracting to other drivers, however it can normally be fixed by moving your headlight angle adjustment switch inside the cockpit.

As soon as the street lights come on where you are driving you need to turn on your headlight bulbs. Any time there is inclement weather or the sky is a dull grey you also need to have your headlights on. It allows other motorists to see you plainly. When you have a dark or dull coloured vehicle it is especially imperative that you switch on your lights, as these cars are more difficult to see.

Only when you encounter unlit streets should you use your high beam headlights. At all other times you should use the lower setting. Your main beam headlights can be a problem for other drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists, so if you are using them you will need to turn them off as you approach them.

When following a vehicle closely at night you should also keep your main beam lights switched off. If you plan to overtake then you should exercise extreme caution because of the reduced visibility and optical illusions created by the dark. Pay particular attention to hidden dips or bends that may affect your ability to safely overtake.

Being dazzled is a particular hazard when driving at night and can temporarily affect your ability to see clearly, however there are some simple tips to help prevent this situation. At night you may find yourself naturally drawn to looking at oncoming headlights, fight this temptation by looking slightly to the left of the lights.

Always keep your windscreen clear of dirt, grease and grime as this can refract the light and be distracting, this is also true of any chips or cracks. Use the anti dazzle function on your rear view mirror when being followed at night and finally anticipate occasions when you could be dazzled, like on the approach to a right hand bend, and slow down accordingly.

You should not be afraid of driving at night, but instead enjoy the uncongested roads and the feel of freedom.

To improve the light output from their car lights, drivers can now replace halogen bulbs with new xenon headlight bulbs. These upgrade car bulbs are interchangeable with standard items so for example, fitting new H7 headlight bulbs is a very simple process.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 6:14 am and is filed under Auto Insurance Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.