Vehicle Safety
Clean your headlights.
When you squeegee your windshield at the gas station, be sure to clean your headlights, too. Even a thin layer of road grime on the lenses can block up to 90 percent of the light and severely restrict your ability to see at night. Clean lenses are even more important if you have HID headlights. Dirt diffuses the light from HIDs and causes glare that can temporarily blind other drivers, so headlight- cleaning systems are standard equipment on many cars with HIDs. As per vehicle safety regulations, using the headlight cleaners regularly becomes a matter of “enlightened” selfinterest for you; when you reduce glare for oncoming drivers you improve your own vehicle safety as well. After all, everybody shares the same road.
Keep all glass clear—really clear.
Streaks, smudges, and road grime on your windows catch and refract light. This includes the inside of your windshield. Chemicals from the plastic in your car’s interior slowly build up on the glass, until pretty soon you’re looking at the windshield, not through it. As per motor vehicle safety, scratched eyeglasses or contact lenses also make glare worse. For maximum glare prevention, keep every surface between your eyes and the road as clear as possible—including both sides of your windshield and your eyeglasses. Clean the windows (inside and out!) at least once a month to get rid of haze—more often if you smoke in the car. While you’re at it, clean your wiper blades with a paper towel dipped in windshield washer fluid. This removes grime and oxidized rubber from the edge of the blade and helps prevent streaking. If streaks persist, you need new blade refills. (These are available at any auto parts store or discount chain.) Have chips or cracks in the windshield repaired, pronto. Often a trained glass repair technician can fill small damaged areas with special resin—a fast, inexpensive process that not only improves visibility but also prevents the crack or chip from growing and requiring a windshield replacement.
Have your vision checked regularly.
The American Optometric Association recommends that everyone under age 40 have a thorough eye exam at least every three years; drivers 41 to 60, every two years; and drivers over age 60, every year. Age makes eyes more sensitive to glare, but certain medical conditions, such as encroaching cataracts, will increase the problem. If the problem is detected early, your eye care professional can recommend effective treatment.
Adjust both outside mirrors.
Properly aligned mirrors not only reduce blind spots, they also reduce glare from vehicles behind you. Vehicle safety regulations recommends the following method: While sitting in the driver’s seat, lean to the left and tilt your head until it rests against the window. From that position, adjust the driver’s side mirror so you can just see the left rear fender. Next, while sitting in the driver’s seat, lean to the right and tilt your head until it’s in the center of the vehicle. From that position, adjust the passenger-side mirror so that the right rear fender is just visible. Now when cars pass you, you’ll notice that your mirrors don’t direct the brightest part of the headlights into your eyes. You’ll also notice that the arrangement reduces blind spots and makes it easier to spot vehicles to the side and rear.
Aggressive Driving
Main Points
- Emergency physicians see the tragic consequences of aggressive driving every day and are dedicated to preventing injuries, including those involving motor vehicles.
- Aggressive driving has been identified by the public as the number one problem on the nation's roadways.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that aggressive drivers cause two-thirds of all fatal crashes and are responsible for nearly 35 percent of all crashes.
It is a progression of unlawful driving actions that includes:
- Speeding - exceeding the posted limit or driving too fast for conditions;
- Improper or excessive lane changing: failing to signal intent, failing to see that movement can be made safely, or
- Improper passing - failing to signal intent, using an emergency lane to pass, or passing on the shoulder.
Some of the factors linked to aggressive driving include:
- Crowded roads
- Being in a hurry
- Road work
- Stress from other areas of life
- Dangerous driving attitudes
- Selfishness
You should:
- Make every attempt to get out of the way.
- Put your pride in the back seat. Do not challenge him or her by speeding up or attempting to "hold-your-own" in your travel lane.
- Wear your seat belt. It will hold you in your seat and behind the wheel in case you need to make an abrupt driving maneuver, and it will protect you in a crash.
- Avoid eye contact.
- Ignore gestures and refuse to return them.