Folks Of Interest Driving at night

.With the days getting shorter and daylight savings time just around the corner do you feel confident driving your hot rod or custom after dark, I know a lot of us old farts deal with vision problems, not to mention all the super bright white/blue lights in the oncoming traffic lanes.

You younger guys probably don't have any problems, but if you were like me I was wearing specs since I was in my teens, Good old Uncle Sam finely diagnosed my astigmatism.

I feel a lot better about my evening driving since I had cataract surgery,on both eyes. HRP

 

Had both eyes done this summer with lens implants that corrected the astigmatism and deleted the cataract blurring.

However, in recent decades I have tried to minimize night highway driving as the rise in the deer population, in the midwest in general and my region in particular, has made deer strikes common. I don't have one vehicle that I would be 'okay' with getting whacked by a deer.

My last personal deer strike was in 2008. For some time now, especially if I am on a major highway, I tuck in behind an 18 wheeler or big pickup, far enough back to avoid the road debris from his tires, but close enough a deer is not likely to get between us. He is my 'front door' as we used to say when avoiding the 'Fuzz'...

Ray

 

I hate it! My sedan gets weird glares that happen when something reflects off the flat glass not to mention the weird stuff that reflects off the stock beveled rear view mirror.

 

I hear you primer. Two years ago I had what's known as an arterial occlusion in my left eye and was totally blind in it for about 12 hours. It's a sobering feeling leaving an eye specialist's office and hearing that it may be permanent. Fortunately my sight slowly came back, but ever since then I can't drive at night comfortably. Combine that with the flat windshield and it's a real pain as you know. Hey, we may be old, but we are still kicking!

 

Mornings aren't much better.

 

Flat windshield , can't tell if the lights are in front or out back , sunrise , sunset ,if it's behind you you're blind ...

 

Driving at night is way more hazardous than the daytime no way around it. Critters are a major part of that. When I was a little kid deer weren't exactly "rare" but, they were cause for comment. Not anymore.

They are majestic but they are so common now as to be basically a pest and cause lots of trouble on the highways. If you think they are hard on your front end try driving a motorcycle. They dependably kill a few guys every year.

 

My night driving skills have diminished significantly. Guess its part of the aging process. Not comfortable at all driving at night in the rain.

 

I had lasik eye surgery done 18 years ago. I had the halo's while driving at night and it lasted about six months like they said it would. One of the best things that I ever did. Still glasses free.

It's just that now when I go into bars and the lighting isn't very good(for obvious reasons) and wake up next to something, beast or woman, I wonder if it was good idea not to have the six million dollar man eyes...

I'm kidding. I don't go into bars. I pick up women at bus stops...

 

Being a young 58 years old, this is just something else I have to look forward to, I guess.

I do make sure my headlights are properly aimed, it helps.

 

Yep, lights from others reflecting off glass, sitting lower than average SUV lights drill interior rear view mirror, driving roadways not familiar with even with gps can be a challenge, etc

 

flat windshields definitely do create a "box of mirrors" effect where it's difficult to tell what's coming from where. I find the best solution to this is to be extremely aware of where traffic is around you, checking your mirrors often.

For being visible myself, I always replace all the exterior (and interior) bulbs or light housings with LED bulbs or LED lights, which seem to be much brighter and more snappy when they turn on and off. A regular bulb will kind of dim in and out in comparison to an LED which turns on and off more instantaneously. I think this makes signal lights and brake lights more noticeable. In addition to being brighter.

As for ME seeing other vehicles better, I usually replace the flat side mirrors with mirrors that are slightly convex. This gives a broader view of what's behind you and to the sides of you, and if someone has a very bright headlight, it doesn't blind you as much, since a convex mirror makes the points of light smaller.

And make sure the windows are clean. A clean windshield (and mirrors) will "flash" less when the sun hits you front on, or when someone's brights are aimed at you. I make a point to wipe down the mirrors and windshield just about every time I stop for fuel. Even if they look clean, they usually end up a bit clearer after a quick wipe, especially if the vehicle isn't parked in a garage.

I have a rip in my right iris, essentially a 2nd pupil in my eye which causes glare at night (probably similar to lasik surgery effects?). It's really only noticeable when I don't have both eyes open, but sometimes a very bright light will cause a glare even with both eyes open. During the day I HAVE to wear sunglasses or I'll get a headache. At night it's not bad, but sometimes I notice it.

Above all though, be very aware of the traffic around you. 1/2 the people are on their phone, and the other 1/2 are probably not paying much attention.

 

Years ago I began setting my side mirrors out farther so the lights behind me don’t reflect into my eyes.
I just move my head forward to get a good view of the side mirrors.
It helps. Flat glass? No way around it. Maybe tinted glasses??

 

And the flat glass and rain at night compounds the reflections. HRP

 

I drive a bunch of old time “ Junk” . The biggest issue I notice is the reflection back and forth between back glass and windshield , it is tough with modern headlight brightness . The old Harley hasn’t much more than a carbide light for a headlight . It used not bother me at all to ride all night long , not my Azz is bustin for home near sunset . Aging hasn’t been as much fun as I was preparing myself for after retirement . I always make the best of a day. It could be so much worse than the day I’m having .

 

You want a vision challenge , try driving on a blacktop( side road) at night, through the corn fields in August ....you need to carry glass cleaner , one of those windshield sponges and roll of paper towels , be prepared to stop every 25 miles or so !!!

 

I hear you, driving down those country 2 lanes with no painted line on the side of the road, flat glass,rain and a on coming idiot with ultra bright high beams have brought me to a stop until the perpetrator passes me. HRP

 

It's a hot rod, your not supposed to see where you,re going. Seriously they tell me I am not a candidate for Cadillac surgery. It does suck driving at night with the new lights and reflections.

 

I bought a pair of, what are supposed to be, high quality night driving glasses by the brand name Soxick. They work surprisingly well for the oncoming traffic glare that I swore was going to get me killed.

 

As mentioned earlier, my 26T coupe is a "box of mirrors". It's really bad, and it can be confusing as hell. I really try to avoid driving in the rain at night. It's like a kaelidiscope (sp?) in there. I adjust the outside mirrors so I have to move my head to see out. The back window I put a curtain in that I can open and close while driving. The curtain really helps. The best thing I have done for night driving is to wire up the headlights through relays. WOW! I'll bet it almost doubled my light output. My biggest problem is the glare from those damned new headlights. Seems like the worst are the new Chevy trucks. Also I welded for years and I was just reading they are now attributing welding flashes to poor night vision. I think my eyes absorbed about a million of those. I've not tried them, but I wonder if those tactical glasses they advertise would help with the glare.

 

I do a lot of my longer road trip main travels during the night. Leave home between 8 or midnight and drive all night. Less traffic to contend with and I enjoy the solitude. The worst times for me is dusk. When headlights don't really add any help but it's not safe to run without them, that's when I have the most trouble seeing these days.
SPark

 

Mark, you have a few years on me, I had always went to a optometrist and I noticed I was having a lot of problems see & trading at a distance, street signs and house numbers.

I made a appointment and they ran all kinds of test and fitted me with new glasses, I went back to pick them up and couldn't see a bit better and was out several hundred dollars, I was complaining about it and my daughter call a ophthalmologist and made me a appointment,

When I arrived the doctor sat me in front of the huge eye lens machine and ask me how long have I had cataracts, I told her I didn't know I had them, she said they are ripe and told her my regular eye doctor never mentioned them, she set me up for surgery the next week and 2 weeks later they did the other eye.

I no longer wear glasses and my vision is now 20/20.

If your having problems get a second opinion from a ophthalmologist. HRP

 

I've had bifocals for about 15 years now, it had gotten so bad I couldn't read the numbers on the gauges. But they brought on a new problem, they magnify lights at night. I do a lot of night driving in the fall-winter- early spring, but even being above most of the traffic in the semi these new lights still blind me. An old truckers trick is to cut your eyes to the right as you meet them, it helps with the bright flash as they get closer.

Another thing that kills me is states that have concrete roads and don't keep the lines painted good, hello Texas, and brand new asphalt roads. In the dry, both seem to just eat the output from your lights so you can't see in front of you as well, and if they are wet with rain they are like a mirror.

 

Oh yes cataract surgery helps night driving. For years I thought the rings around oncoming headlights were normal. Easy surgery and it made a big difference in my life

 

Going right after Hershey! Thanks


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

I also just went out and bought yellow glasses they make a huge defference in the glare from on coming head lights, but don't seem to reduce the amount of light from my head lights. And the woman at the optometrist said they make me look like Bono.

Phil

 

At 59 years of age my eyes obviously aren't what they were ( progressive bifocals help with reading the instruments!) and I am far from a proponent of government interference in people's lives but the headlights on today's cars, I believe they are called " projection headlights " should be ILLEGAL. New Jersey used to have state run inspection stations in which headlight adjustment was checked....I really don't think this modern junk would pass...a couple of weeks ago on my way home from a cruise in I left my old sealed beam " high beams " on the whole way home and not a soul blinked at me indicating they wanted them lowered.....they didn't even notice....

 

Years ago I bought flip-down yellow sunglasses to use over my regular glasses, and used them at night. My problem is everything turned yellow, including the brake lights of every other car. It was very difficult to tell when the car in front of me were breaking. The night driving lights and the breaks were all yellow. I didn't want to risk it. I haven't worn the yellow glasses in years.

 

Even in my daily I don't judge distance at night like I could when I was younger, yes, vision as I've gotten older has regressed, biggest thing I get hit with is the newer trucks that have those twin lights, Fords I think, one above the other...fuck it feels like I'm being bright lighted. I've flashed them, and for sure I'm not. Now I just sorta look off when they are coming at me and use peripheral vision as I pass.

Same age as Squirrel, so hope he stays young.

 

No problem in my 40 or the roadster with the 12 volt OT halogen lights. Big problem with the 6 volt original lighting in the 47. The cataract surgery was a great help as well.