Glare is so dangerous that it causes 5 percent of road traffic accidents.
There are some guidelines we can follow to Avoid High Beam Glare When Driving. If you want to see how to avoid risks and fatigue in your driving.
keep reading.
Definition Of Glare
It is a transient state during which an individual temporarily loses, partially or totally, his visual acuity. Glare usually occurs when the eyes move from a dark environment to a well-lit one. This is often the case when you come out of a long tunnel.
It can also result from the effects of a brightening directed straight towards the eyes in a persistent manner. For example, when a car follows you closely at night with the high beams on, or when you are traveling with the sun in your eyes, straight ahead.
Finally, it can also appear due to a sudden appearance of a bright burst of solid intensity, like a lighthouse called, or sometimes a flash of lightning during a thunderstorm. In all cases, the result is a pupil that takes all this light intensity head-on,
Depending on each individual, this phase lasts from four to ten seconds, during which the vision can range from noticeably reduced to totally impaired.
In the first case, you see any way, but really with difficulty. In the second case, you do not see anything at all. Glare is a major source of accidents on the road. It is therefore essential to adopt thoughtful actions to limit the effects in the car.
How To Avoid Glare During The Day?
During the day, natural light allows us to see everything around us in a usual way. However, glare can still occur, mainly in two ways. The first occurs directly, and it is often represented by the sun shining directly in front of or behind you, which subjects you to roll with the sun in your eyes.
The second occurs indirectly: reverberation is due to a mirror effect on shiny or wet objects. In all situations, you end up with impaired vision, which can have severe consequences while you are behind the wheel. To overcome these risks, you can use a few accessories to protect your vision.
The first is to install a solar band on the top of your windshield. It reduces the intensity of any light source that hits you in the face. As a result, you will be able to keep your eyes usually open without having to open your eyelids to protect your eyes and thus avoid the risk of collisions. As they say, an accident can happen in the blink of an eye.
However, the law imposes a maximum height of 10 centimeters for the solar band. Thus, its effectiveness is reduced to a sun already high enough in the sky or light sources located above your vision axis.
Then, you can also use the sun visor that equips any regular car. Located on either side of the interior rear-view mirror, a high-performance car sun visor protects you from solar radiation over a relatively wide range of deployment. It not only shields your gaze from radiation from the front but also the side.
You can turn this accessory on its side to place it above the side window and prevent the sun from hitting you from the side. However, its role is to protect your vision and not to block it. Therefore, its effectiveness will play its maximum before the sun is entirely horizontal in front of you or to the side.
Another helpful accessory to shelter your eyes from too strong a surrounding light intensity, the hat. It can get in the way of a car, especially if you are tall. But the hat allows your eyes to stay in the shade so that you can see the environment around you. At worst, you can opt for a cap or even a simple visor to benefit from this visual protection against too much light.
Finally, the most practical technique is also to wear sunglasses. However, it is not a question of choosing just about them, especially if you already wear corrective lenses under normal circumstances. You must obtain a model that meets European standards and on the advice of a specialist optician. Otherwise, you find yourself in violation, and you risk a fine and points on your license in the event of traffic control.
How To Avoid Glare While Driving At Night
In the absence of sun, glare mainly occurs by the lights of vehicles arriving opposite or behind.
In the first case, the best way to avoid glare is not to stare at the light source but to look straight ahead, as far as possible. Better yet, you can even direct your eyes to the side of the road opposite the light source. This technique also allows you to quickly detect any poorly lit obstacles, such as a parked car or a cyclist.
In the second case, all you have to do is set your mirror to the night position, which allows you to keep the car behind you in your field of vision without being subjected to its headlights’ intensity.
Finally, you can also wear glasses with polarized lenses specially designed for night driving. However, the regulations remain the same as for sunglasses.
Frequent Glare Situations
Tunnels
Undoubtedly the most typical, next to dark sections or roads surrounded by trees. When leaving these sections, the light hit is powerful, so it is advisable to wear sunglasses to reduce the contrast. Likewise, it is crucial to maintain the appropriate speed, respect the limit and respect the separation with other vehicles to avoid the risk of reaching.
Driving In Low Light Conditions
Poor visibility increases the risk of collision, which, although it is higher during the day, its consequences can be worse at night. Low lighting increases the risk of being dazzled, especially by direct and unexpected light from another vehicle, during a change in grade, a curve or a turn. If you find yourself in this situation, look away from the light and follow the line of the right edge of the road as a guide. It is essential to circulate with caution during sunrise and sunset, and they are critical moments.
Changing lights
Indeed it has happened to you at some time, driving at night and suddenly going blind because the one coming from the opposite direction has the high-beam headlights on. So do not forget to change for the short-range ones and if you find another vehicle in a curve, the driver who circulates inside is the one who must be the first to make the change.
Reflexes
Reflexes are also dangerous. The light that comes to us from the facades of buildings or the windows of other vehicles can also reduce our visibility. To avoid this situation, remember to avoid looking directly into the light and have sunglasses in the car and unfold the visor.
By the back
The rear-view mirrors can also produce this effect when they reflect the light that comes from behind, either from the sun or from other vehicles with poorly adjusted headlights.
Conclusion
To conclude, whatever the situation, these attitudes must be accompanied by logical gestures useful for safety. Having a windshield that is always clean, for example, allows you always to have a clear view. Besides, easing your foot in the event of glare can prevent you from entering an obstacle during your moment of blindness, the time to allow your eyes to recover their total capacity.
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