Oh say can you see…
I recently got some new glasses and I’m very pleased at how much clearer I can see. The last time I had my eyes checked was over 3 years ago, so it was time to get a check up. Having proper visibility is important to many of us as individuals, but do we take the same position as a driver?
Recently I was out with my oldest son when the rain began to fall. I decided to put on my intermittent wipers to allow my visibility to maintain. All was good until the rain started to fall harder. It forced me to turn my wipers on to regular speed instead of intermittent speed. This helped me see a lot better. One of the things I try to do is to keep my wipers in good order. I use undiluted windshield washer fluid to clean the blades of my wipers. This removes the grime that is on the blade and reduces the streaks across the windshield. I also keep the inside of the window clean. That also helps to reduce the glare when the oncoming driver’s headlights reach my windshield. How many of you do the same things?
While my son and I were on our short trip along the freeway, I noticed a driver approaching us from behind in the left lane and they didn’t have their headlights on. This was around 7:00 p.m. and it had been dark for around an hour or so. Why didn’t they realize their headlights were off? Didn’t they glance at their speedometer periodically to realize they needed to turn their lights on; at least to notice their speed? This was obviously a driver that was clueless. They had no visibility in front of them or off to the side while driving along at approximately 110 km/h (65 mph) on a dark freeway. Luckily they regained some common sense and turned their headlights on shortly after they had passed us.
Later that same night the fog began to roll in. As my visibility reduced, I reduced my speed. The drivers that were directly in front and behind me decided to do the same thing. While we were all driving along at approximately 80 km/h (50 mph) in the flow of traffic, I noticed a driver approaching us from behind in the next lane going at full speed. Where was there common sense? What would have happened if a driver going much slower changed lanes in front of them? Would they have time to respond to this slower driver? Maybe they would, but why put yourself at that type of risk?
We need to remember that we drive with our eyes; and our hands and feet are only tools that our eyes need to use to drive safely. Without proper visibility, we are likely to crash. I hope you can see what I mean.
Excellent article. My @s_i_n_s twitter account likes to point out that all impairment is dangerous, mostly snow, but rain, fog, lack of lights, all serve to impair motorists and drivers from seeing as much as possible. Fog/rain/snow while driving are uncontrollable beyond defrost and wipers, and a full set of lights on. While stopped though, brushing and scraping or wiping weather residue off your vision panels and lights and mirrors can only benefit your safety. I drive with lights 100% of the time, light travels faster than I do, so I’m much more visible to anyone approaching especailly if I’m slower and they haven’t reduced speed in fog (not exactly a full deck doing that). Always drive to the conditions, and stop to improve them, in snowstorms, if its heavy enough I will pull over and brush more often to keep my vision clear. If it’s not clear, don’t put it in gear. Thanks