I was driving along a busy road recently when the rain came down in a sudden burst, which is not unusual in our part of the world. No sooner had the rain started, it stopped and the sun came out. Oh my…the glare nearly blinded me! I suppose we should be used to conditions like this, particularly being Melbourne and four seasons in one day. I’m finding lately clients asking me how do I deal with glare in bright and wet driving conditions?
What causes glare whilst driving?
Firstly, let’s find out what causes glare while we’re driving. Glare occurs when too much light enters our eyes and interferes with the eye’s ability to manage vision. It can cause mild discomfort in some cases, even mild headaches. There is no known reason for why this happens. It also isn’t known why it affects only some. It can also happen during rain, snow or fog.
Why can’t I see the lines on the road?
Another factor is also the conditions on the road. Where the asphalt is smooth and sometimes lighter in colour, this can cause rain to pool on the road also reducing your ability to see the lines on the road, which causes a quite bright reflection, which can lead to drifting into other lanes. Yes, it would be great if the authorities could keep road maintenance up to date and ensure the white lines are visible at all times, particularly at night, but as we know, the wheels of public progress can turn slowly.
The cars lights behind me are so bright?
Sometimes when driving at night, we can have cars come up behind us and their headlights can be so bright, we’re blinded temporarily. Headlight globes these days for new cars are very bright, which can create blindness for a split second if we look in our rear vision mirror.
How can we avoid the glare?
If you have a look at your rear vision you will notice a lever behind it. Sometimes it’s noticeable, sometimes it’s not. In the pic below, I had to tilt to see it, with my car it’s visible. When driving you regularly use your rear vision mirror right? Well, at night time when visibility is poor and you’ve got a car coming up behind you with bright headlights, rather than be blinded, tilt the lever to either lower or lift your mirror.
Still be cautious at night time.
You’ll still be aware of the car coming up behind you, but the glare will have disappeared. In saying that, obviously the car behind you should have their headlights on to be seen, but as we know, some people forget when the sun goes down or their globes have blown, so always drive with caution.
How can I avoid the glare during the day?
Avoiding the glare during the day is as simple as keeping a pair of sunglasses at hand. I’ve found keeping a cheapie pair available such as $8 ones from Kmart stop me from taking them from the car to my handbag for example.
Got a subject that you’d like to see me discuss? Send me an email at sarah@driveskills4life.com.au and I’ll set to work getting the info for you.
Until next time…Sarah
