He 42% of traffic accidents it occurs at night, a fact that shows the risks that exist when driving during this time slot, since your visual perception decreases. we tell you the basic rules for driving at night with comfort and safety.
You should keep in mind that you receive the 90% of traffic information through your view: by the sensation of light, visual acuity and the ability to recognize colors. These three processes are disturbed at night, since vision and the brain undergo a greater effort to be able to act quickly and efficiently in any situation.
In addition, there are other risks when driving at night. In addition to losing visual acuity and reducing your field of vision, darkness can hide dangers that are visible in daylight, so you have to drive with greater caution. The appearance of tiredness and fatigue it occurs mainly between 4 and 6 in the morning, when our alert level drops. And there is a greater number of drivers who have abused alcohol in this time slot.
Despite everything, there are people who prefer to drive at night in the lower traffic density, to drive more relaxed and to maintain a higher speed. For this, you must be in good physical and mental condition (without fatigue or ailments), the vehicle must be in good condition and the trip must be planned in advance: know the itinerary well, the location of the rest areas, the weather conditions the state of the roads…
The 10 rules things to remember if you drive at night, compiled by the European Motorists Club are:
1. Slow down: You have to be able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop within the field of illumination of the headlights. On the highway, the maximum recommended speed is 90 kilometers per hour.
2. Keep a safe distance: It must not be less than three seconds with the preceding vehicle.
3. Increase the frequency of looking through the mirrors: You should at least check every ten seconds.
4. Increase the frequency of stops: You must stop to rest your legs and clean the windows well so as not to obstruct your vision.
5. At dusk, turn on the low beam headlights: At the first sign of poor vision, turn on the lights. It is key to know how to use the car lights correctly.
6. Stop if symptoms of fatigue appear: Take some energy food or drink.
7. Stop if symptoms of drowsiness appear: Rest for about 20 minutes and have some coffee or a stimulating drink. If you are very tired, feel free to get some sleep.
8. Use high beams if possible: On roads where there is no possibility of dazzling other vehicles, use high beams instead of low beams, thus increasing your night perception.
9. Remove high beams when overtaking: So that there are no risks of dazzling, if you come across another vehicle, you must remove the high beams and put the low beams on.
10. Reduce the intensity of the instrument panel light: The more light there is inside, the worse it looks outside.
