DIP YOUR BEAMS

WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

DIP YOUR BEAMS
CORNUDAS, TX: Alice Lang, age around 60, complained about a vehicle which followed behind her car at night using its high beams. On rounding a curve another vehicle approached her's with its beams on high also. Thoroughly blinded she could see neither the road's center nor side lines. Alice totaled her car on a tree, as well as nearly totaling herself. Neither driver stopped to help.

At the least, blinding other drivers is thoughtless, possibly unsafe for all drivers. High beams bouncing off the mirrors and windshield can make for dangerous driving. More so for older persons who may be more sensitive to light, may see halos, and are easily distracted. It is much more difficult in the rain.

If you are in the vehicle, either behind or approaching, why would you want to possibly involve yourself in a crash? If you are driving the target car about all you can do is readjust your mirrors and slow down. Do not put on sunglasses as they will seriously reduce your night sight, even those yellow ones sold as "night glasses".

Sometimes it may only seem like the vehicle behind is burning the high beams. Pickups and vans sit higher and even their low beam halogens can annoy the driver ahead. Especially this is true if the auto ahead is a compact. This is something for the safety design experts of these larger vehicles to "fix".

Do any of our readers have an experience to tell about the new seemingly very bright "blue" headlight beams?
GHD135 all rights reserved

SENIORS AVOID NIGHT DRIVING

WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

SENIORS AVOID NIGHT DRIVING
CARNATION, WA: It was getting near full darkness on route 203 when Charles asked his much younger spouse to take over the driving. An increasing number of older drivers no longer drive after dark, especially in the rain. Those with cataract/lens implants in both eyes find that bright lights approaching make it very difficult to see.

Why is the fatal crash rate several times higher at night than in daylight? Safety experts report that poor eyesight and low illumination cause us to see hazards too late at the speed we are driving. We need to drive slower in dusk and dark and not "overdrive" our headlights. Also, for our own safety, we should dim our lights for approaching vehicles and hope they do likewise.

With all our new health consciousness there are joggers to avoid on the roads, even at night. Be alert, too, for the larger number of drunk drivers out there after dark. And, please do not yourself drive after drinking alcohol - it decreases your night vision.

In general, older persons do not like to drive at night and prefer meetings, classes, movies, and other events during daylight. That preference reduces the number of crashes for senior drivers.
GHD134 all rights reserved

HYDROPLANING IS NOT A SPORT

WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

HYDROPLANING IS NOT A SPORT
STURGIS, ND: It was raining so heavily on I-90 that water was ponding on the highway's hills. At 48 mph suddenly the steering felt mushy and Henrietta thought she was floating out of control. Fortunately she kept her convertible on the road while slowing. It was scary enough to be a true lesson on hydroplaning. Had her convertible, lacking a roll bar, flipped she would have been a statistic. She had earlier turned off the cruise control because in defensive driving she had learned that cruise control compounds the hydroplaning damages. Henrietta completed her trip at a safer 30 mph.

On wet roads, more likely during heavy rains, water builds up between the tires and the road. This lifts the vehicle from road contact, steering ability is lost and the tires feel like they are dragging.. The vehicle becomes a "free agent" with no control of where it may go and what tragedy it may cause. Hydroplaning starts at about 30 mph and full loss of road contact is experienced at about 50 mph.

Some premium tires have special tread designs which help resist this dangerous loss of steering. Even with such tires the best protection is a reasonable reduced speed until drier pavement is reached.
GHD133 all rights reserved

FOGGY DRIVING

WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

FOGGY DRIVING
LACONIA, VT: Being a long way from their home and wanting to avoid night driving, Peg and Sarah planned to leave by 5:00 am via US 3. But as luck would have it, heavy fog made safe driving near impossible. They waited until 10:30 for the sun to chase away the fog.

A heavy fog is extremely dangerous because of the potential for chain collisions. If you find yourself in a fog bank the best thing to do is to get as far off the highway as possible. Switch to the low beams for better visibility and use the hazard flashers to warn others of your position. Do not creep along, a faster vehicle with poor stopping power is sure to crash into you. Do not drive fast as you may crash into a slow mover. Your best choice is to get off the highway!

Safety officials have yet to devise effective methods to deal with severe fog. The best they can do now is roadway flashing lights and signs warning of fog ahead. In chronic fog areas the traffic lanes and road sides may be marked with bright reflectors. The best we can do is not drive into a fog. A few hours lost or an extra night at a hotel is less traumatic than is visiting the emergency room and less costly than a hospital stay.
GHD132 all rights reserved