Night Driving

Did you know that the most dangerous time to drive is at night? It's harder to see, your depth perception may be off a little due to less light, animals may be out more, fatigue increases, and poor weather conditions seem to get worse as the sun goes down (especially at this time of year).

Since roads don't just shut down once it's dark outside, and that's not even realistic in the slightest (who wants to be stuck somewhere all night?), there are some precautions you can take to stay safe in the dark.

1. Make sure your headlights are properly aligned and are clean.
2. Clean the inside of your windshield to eliminate streaks and glares.
3. Although we don't see as much fog in Utah as other places, turn fog lights or low beams on when driving through fog or to give you better visibility.
4. Slow down to compensate for limited visibility.
5. Don't out-drive your headlight beams.  Meaning, make sure you can stop within the beam of your headlights.
6. Leave a larger stopping gap between you and other vehicles.
7. Don't focus on the headlights of oncoming traffic.  Focus on the right side of the road.
8. Make frequent stops and walk around to avoid fatigue.
9. Don't smoke, smoke clouds can affect visibility.
10. Watch for deer, and remember they travel in packs.
11. If you have to pull over, pull far off the road and turn on lights.
12. Have your eyes checked regularly.