
Time of day. It may seem
obvious, but visibility is greatly diminished in the evening and
night. What is less obvious, however, is the impact of that decreased
visibility. Despite that less people drive after dark than they do
during daylight hours, still more than half of all fatal motor
vehicle collisions happen after dark.
Speeding. You may believe
that the extra 5 or 10 kilometers that you drive over the limit are
harmless, simply because you haven't yet had any consequences
attached to this behaviour. However, even minor speeding increases
your likelihood of collision significantly. Part of this is owing to
the fact that you are seeing less of your surroundings at higher
speeds; there simply isn't time for you to take in the information
correctly.
The sun's position.
During the minutes surrounding sunrise and sunset, depending on the
direction in which you are driving, the sun's rays can literally be
blinding. You should always have protective eyewear in your car for
such occasions. Having a dedicated pair that never leaves your
vehicle will help ensure that you are never without them when you
need them.
Your own prescription.
Many drivers with weak prescriptions feel confident in driving
without any corrective eyewear at all. This is a big mistake. When
you deem that you can “still see” without your glasses or contact
lenses, usually you are not doing so in blizzard or heavy rain
conditions...but these extra layers of decreased visibility, in
combination with your own starting disadvantage of having less than
perfect vision, will have much more of a negative effect than if you
were to wear your corrective lenses.
Mirror positioning. If
you share a vehicle with another member of your household,
particularly someone of a different height and weight than yourself,
then all drivers of that vehicle need to ensure they are re-adjusting
the position of the side and rearview mirrors every time they are
about to drive.
Weather. Fog, heavy rain,
and heavy snow are known to diminish visibility significantly.
Obviously the ideal thing would be to avoid driving in such
conditions altogether. However, for times when that cannot be
avoided, be sure that you regularly maintain your vehicle so that it
is suitable for driving in such conditions. Part of this involves
ensuring that the following are in working order: all of your lights,
your windshield wipers, your brakes, and your defoggers. Also ensure
that you have adequate wiper fluid at all times.