Reducing Harmful Headlight Glare And Increasing Your Driving Safety

Headlight glare is now on the forefront of research by the National Traffic Safety Institute as it is a leading cause of nighttime crashes. It greatly reduces the drivers ability to see and react appropriately. Most of the time this glare comes from another vehicle in front or behind the drivers vehicle.

Headlight glare greatly reduces ones ability to see safely at night. According to a study by the AAA traffic safety foundation:

It takes a typical driver 10 seconds to recover from headlight glare situations, and this time increases as we age. At 60 miles an hour, a car can travel about a quarter mile in 10 seconds.

Basically that means that upon having seen this headlight glare we will travel a quarter of a mile with greatly reduced vision and safety. This is where the danger and increased risk of car accidents can and does occur. It is also proven that these accidents due to glare from headlights result in more serious injuries and fatalities.

Here are some ways to reduce glare for both yourself and for other drivers.

1) When you are experiencing direct and blinding forward glare, look to the side of the road instead. Most roads have a white line which is on the right side of the lane. Keep your eyes on this and you will stay on the road and reduce the glares effect on you and your driving. Also, slow down. It is better to be safe than sorry.

2) Quickly adjust or correct your mirrors so the glare is redirected away from you. This is important as some mirrors actually magnify or increase the glares effect and brightness. The easiest thing to do is just push your mirrors down. You can always readjust them later.

3) Keep your windshield clean. Dirty windshields and windows will make it much harder to see and actually add to the glares intensity. It is a good idea to make sure your windows are clean before every drive.

4) Dirty or worn headlights will reduce your visibility. According to Road & Travel magazine, your night vision can be reduced by as much as 90% by dirty headlights. It is important to have clean headlights. If your headlights are worn, yellow or cloudy, get t them either replace them or restore them. There are headlight lens cleaning kits available now over the internet and they will save you money. Worn or cloudy headlights lower light output and redirect the light that is emitted making you a hazard to other drivers and yourself. I can not say this enough, if you have worn or cloudy headlights either get them restored professionally, do it your self with a headlight cleaning kit, or get them replaced.

Remember headlight glare is a killer and by following the above tips you can greatly reduce your risks of a night time crash from it.

About the Author:
David Maillie specializes in automotive safety products and information. He holds numerous patents and awards for his patented headlight cleaner and restorer. For more information, tips, safety and money saving products please visit http://www.mdwholesale.com
Submitted: 2006-08-11
Article Source: GoArticles

Vehicle Safety Habits For The Beginner Driver

It is good practice to check you’re vehicle out before proceeding out on the road, and know all the safety features of the vehicle that you are operating. It is part of defensive driving to do these checks before you take you’re vehicle on the road.

Vehicle inspection should be first on the list, before proceeding out on the road.

Take out the tire wrench. You are going to need it to check the tires. Hit the tire to make sure there is sufficient air. You may want to carry a tire gauge in you’re car. Do a visable inspection of tires, looking for possible cracks or worn tires.

Are there any visible leaks under the car? Do the signals work? Do the headlights work? (High and low beam.) Do the brake lights work?

Check to make sure there’s enough engine oil; break fluid, and power steering fluid. Also check battery water level and coolant level. Do not open radiator cap! Vehicle must be cooled down first, if parked recently. (caution: see owners manual before opening cap.) Last will be transmission fluid. (Vehicle must be running to read proper level.) (Make sure you’re emergency park brake is applied.)

Now you are ready to enter the car. Go over the safety features of your vehicle. .

Communication features:

• Signals help you warn other drivers, which way you intend to turn.
• Brakes warn other drivers your slowing down or stopping.
• Horn warns other drivers and pedestrians to be alert.
• Emergency signals warn other drivers of a problem that you may have.

Visibility features:

• Mirrors should be adjusted before you leave any parked position.
• Mirrors should be used quite often to see what is happening around you at all times. When you think your going to have to stop, check you’re rearview mirror first. You may have to touch your brake, to warn others behind you. You may have to stop a little further ahead to give the driver behind you room to stop safely. It’s all part of driving defensively.
• Headlights should be working, high and low beam.
• Wipers are a must in bad weather conditions.
• Windshield must be clean.

Safety features:

• Emergency brakes should be applied when in a parked position at all times. Test you’re emergency brake by applying the handle, or pushing to the floor, depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Remove gear out of park position with foot on brake pedal and put in drive position. Ease up on brake pedal. Vehicle should not roll forward. It is a good habit to always release park brake after putting vehicle in gear. The vehicle will not roll forward if you forget to put you’re foot on the brake pedal, if the park brake is functioning properly.
• Seat belts: Make sure you’re seatbelt is on. Including passengers. It is a violation in most, if not every city and state not to wear it.

Comfort:

• Heater should be adjusted accordingly, for maximum comfort. Driver must open windows if too hot.
• Seat adjustments should be adjusted for maximum visibility and comfort.

(Check owner’s manual for further knowledge of vehicle features and safety features.)

These topics that we covered should be second nature when reaching for them, especially when you get an unexpected downpour, or hit with mud from a passing vehicle, if you have to look for you’re wipers, you may find yourself on top of another vehicle or in a ditch! Do not attempt to drive without this knowledge.

About the Author:
George Gabriel
Owned and operated a driving school for several years. Taught over 2000 kids and older people how to drive. Now operating a golf tee time site at http://www.golfanchor.net.
This article was posted on October 10, 2005
Article Source: articlecity

Three Styles of Driving - and One of Them Can Kill You

No matter where you live driving is becoming a regular part of our daily working lives. Even in China, in major cities like Shanghai, I understand traffic congestion and commuting are fast becoming daily facts of life.

There are three different ways of driving with three distinct effects on your health. At the end of the day you are free to choose the type of driving you are doing and free to suffer or enjoy the distinct health effects associated with them.

1) SHORT CUT TO THE GRAVE – In this type of aggressive and angry driving, people get upset at anything and everything.

They are upset that the “jerk” behind them is trying to pass them (she might have a patient in the back seat and just trying to make it to the emergency in time) and they are committed to never let her do that.

Or they are upset that the white haired frail guy in front of them is driving too slow. They try harassing him with honking and worse. The effect is immediate – blood pressure rises, breathing becomes labored and brain cells start to sizzle. Since high blood pressure is the number one “silent killer” all around the world, I call this driving method the “short cut to the grave.”

2) CHATTERING-MONKEYS DRIVING – This is when we are not visibly upset at anybody but we are nevertheless very busy in our brain, adding things and subtracting things like a calculating machine, constantly going over and over the problems we have and all the tasks that need to be completed, etc. There are a million monkeys chattering in our brains.

This is a guaranteed way to arrive really tired at our destination. Since we are not paying full attention to traffic, there is a higher chance that we might be missing a red light or miss that truck barrelling down on us from the left lane... Try this “chattering monkeys driving” method and you'll be tired whole day.

3) PEACEFUL LET-GO DRIVING – And you have another alternative: you can let go of anger and mental chattering and just let things BE until you arrive where you want to go.

You cannot change the conditions of the drivers around you. You cannot help if someone is late to the hospital or if someone is 85 years old and cannot react quickly to the way light changes from red to green.

But you can always control your mind, and control what you think.

Think peace and let go. Tell your mind that nothing is more precious than your inner peace and think nothing negative for 10-seconds at a time. Try this as a 10-second game and, repeated frequently enough, you'll see that you are driving more and more in a calm and collected manner to work or home.

You have a choice. Today think about what you are doing to yourself while driving and go for inner peace, lower blood pressure and a better world for us all.

About the Author:
Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation.
He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.
In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).
You can reach him at writer111@gmail.com for a FREE consultation on all your copywriting needs.
You are most welcomed to visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com for more information on his multidisciplinary background, writing career, and client testimonials.
While at it, you might also want to check the latest book he has edited, PRIVATE TUTOR FOR SAT MATH SUCCESS 2006:
http://www.lulu.com/content/263630
Article Submitted On: June 26, 2006
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Defensive Driving Tips From A Parked Position For The Novice Driver

Leaving a parked position can be quite the hazard, if your not sure of the proper procedure.

You are about to move forward from a parked position. Position you’re hands at ten o’clock and two o’clock on the steering wheel. If you let go of the steering wheel, you’re hands should continue to rest on the wheel. Some drivers prefer the 3 o’clock and the 9 o’clock position. If your driving an automatic, the right hand should not have to go too far to change gears, placing it back to the 2 position. The left hand should slide down the steering wheel without leaving the steering wheel to signal. Place your hand back to the ten position when you finished signaling. One hand on the wheel is not the safe way to drive a vehicle.

Now your ready to drive forward and you have done all the safety checks before you roll forward and signaled out of you’re parked position. Safety checks include checking your mirrors and shoulder depending on the direction your pulling out of. If you do not pull out right away after your checks, you will have to recheck again. Keep in mind that you are leaving a parked position and you are hardly moving. Traffic behind you can be moving fast. Check you're shoulder just before you think you are going to accelerate and glance a second time, after you have looked forward to check you're path ahead. Checking a second time gives you that option to go back to the brake, in case a vehicle comes around some corner and surprises you. Use you’re review mirror as much as possible to avoid this situation.

When you’re parked between two vehicles. Position you’re vehicle so you are clear of the vehicle in front of you, by inching back far enough. Position the nose of your vehicle forward, in a clearance position ahead of you. When you are on a wide roadway, you typically have a couple of feet without obstructing traffic and cyclists. Make sure you are not entering the nose of your vehicle into a potential hazard! Keep in mind the amount you turned the wheel. If you have cranked the wheel quite a bit. Make sure you do not end up on the other side of the road. To avoid this potential hazard, ease off the gas pedal when out of the parked position and gain control of direction by correcting the steering wheel position.

Reviewing the proper procedure of leaving a parked position from a curb.

(1) Path ahead
(2) Mirrors
(3) Signal
(4) Shoulder check
(5) Path ahead
(6) Recheck shoulder
(7) Proceed when all is clear

The first thing you check is your path ahead to make sure it’s clear.

Check your mirrors to see if it’s safe behind you.

Signal to traffic behind to let them know your intentions. (Hand signal if you think other drivers can’t see you’re signal. Also bring you’re hand back in before you start to maneuver the vehicle out of the parked position.)

Glance over to your blind spot just in case another vehicle pulls out from across the road, just before you make the maneuver.

Recheck your path ahead and proceed forward with one more glance over you’re shoulder. Do not release the brake pedal until after you have looked forward. A pedestrian may have approached you’re vehicle while you were looking the other way.

I hope these defensive driving tips will help you in you’re goal in becoming a defensive driver. Have an expierenced driver, or a recognized defensive driving school help you for further instruction on this topic.

About the Author:
George Gabriel
Owned and operated a driving school for several years. Taught over 2000 kids and older people how to drive. Now operating a golf tee time site at http://www.golfanchor.net and a sister golf site at http://www.golfanchor.com
Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Advanced driving for young drivers

Advanced driving for young drivers There are many excellent reasons to put your learning hat back on and seek out a local instructor for advanced driving lessons. After passing our tests many of us still feel as though there is something missing and actually plucking up the courage to get behind the wheel and pull out onto a major road can be a terrifying ordeal. It can also be quite frightening to venture out in pouring rain or blustering winds for new, young drivers.

It is a great idea to work yourself into driving gradually. Perhaps you could get a friend or family member that has a few years of driving under their belt to sit with you for the first couple of road excursions. Make sure that you don't plan any long, gruelling cross country trips straight away. Also, stick to minor roads and just get used to being among other traffic and master being in full control of your vehicle.

Reasons for wanting to be an advanced driver Here are some other great reasons to enrol on an advanced driving course:

Motor enthusiasts may want to master control over their vehicle in order to gain a more pleasurable driving experience Parents may want to improve their confidence behind the wheel to enhance the safety of their families A young or first time driver may want gain more driving experience and cut down car insurance rates Advanced driving organisations Organisations such as The Institute of Advanced Motorists and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents offer advanced driving training. Many car insurance companies such as the RAC and the AA teach their own advanced driving lessons. However, Pass Plus is the one advanced training initiative devised by the DVLA with the help of the motor insurance industry and UK driving instructors.

Advantages of being an advanced young driver Advanced driving lessons are very beneficial to all drivers, but may be especially useful for young drivers.

Experience - find out how to deal with many tricky situations that you may encounter while on the road. These may include learning how to drive in extreme weather conditions and preparation for how to deal with road accidents. Confidence - learn how to become a more self-assured driver. Advanced driving can also help your friends and family feel more confident about you being out on the road alone. Your passengers will also feel more relaxed with you at the wheel. Skills - this is your chance to add years to your driving experience in a matter of weeks while being taught by the experts. Developing advanced car control skills and becoming more intimate with the ins and out of your car can be very rewarding. New, young drivers will find this particularly helpful. Safety - new drivers are often unaware of just how many dangers there are out on the road and drivers are more likely to have an accident during the first two years that they begin to drive due to lack of experience. This is why young driver car insurance can be so costly. By being more conscious of the road accident hazards new drivers may be able to bring these deplorable accident rates down and make the British roads safer. Money saving - although you will have to pay the initial costs of your advanced driving course you could end up saving more on your young driver car insurance than you spend on tuition. By being more aware of road accident hazards you may also save the extra costs that having a road accident can bring such as vehicle repair, car hire, and a raise in your car insurance rates. More experienced drivers are also usually more adept at getting from location to location more quickly which can save stacks of journey time. There is also more money to be saved since an advanced driver should have better handling of their vehicle, optimising the chance to be more economical with fuel.

So, advanced driving will help you onto the roads with more confidence and skill as a young driver. You will also feel more experienced on the roads and thus decrease your chances of causing a road accident. Passing an advanced driving course can save you time and money such as lowering your young driver car insurance rates. Hopefully, embarking on an advanced driving course will mean that you feel more prepared to brave the open road.

Advanced driving for young drivers There are many excellent reasons to put your learning hat back on and seek out a local instructor for advanced driving lessons. After passing our tests many of us still feel as though there is something missing and actually plucking up the courage to get behind the wheel and pull out onto a major road can be a terrifying ordeal. It can also be quite frightening to venture out in pouring rain or blustering winds for new, young drivers.

It is a great idea to work yourself into driving gradually. Perhaps you could get a friend or family member that has a few years of driving under their belt to sit with you for the first couple of road excursions. Make sure that you don't plan any long, gruelling cross country trips straight away. Also, stick to minor roads and just get used to being among other traffic and master being in full control of your vehicle.

Reasons for wanting to be an advanced driver Here are some other great reasons to enrol on an advanced driving course:

Motor enthusiasts may want to master control over their vehicle in order to gain a more pleasurable driving experience Parents may want to improve their confidence behind the wheel to enhance the safety of their families A young or first time driver may want gain more driving experience and cut down car insurance rates Advanced driving organisations Organisations such as The Institute of Advanced Motorists and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents offer advanced driving training. Many car insurance companies such as the RAC and the AA teach their own advanced driving lessons. However, Pass Plus is the one advanced training initiative devised by the DVLA with the help of the motor insurance industry and UK driving instructors.

Advantages of being an advanced young driver Advanced driving lessons are very beneficial to all drivers, but may be especially useful for young drivers.

Experience - find out how to deal with many tricky situations that you may encounter while on the road. These may include learning how to drive in extreme weather conditions and preparation for how to deal with road accidents. Confidence - learn how to become a more self-assured driver. Advanced driving can also help your friends and family feel more confident about you being out on the road alone. Your passengers will also feel more relaxed with you at the wheel. Skills - this is your chance to add years to your driving experience in a matter of weeks while being taught by the experts. Developing advanced car control skills and becoming more intimate with the ins and out of your car can be very rewarding. New, young drivers will find this particularly helpful. Safety - new drivers are often unaware of just how many dangers there are out on the road and drivers are more likely to have an accident during the first two years that they begin to drive due to lack of experience. This is why young driver car insurance can be so costly. By being more conscious of the road accident hazards new drivers may be able to bring these deplorable accident rates down and make the British roads safer. Money saving - although you will have to pay the initial costs of your advanced driving course you could end up saving more on your young driver car insurance than you spend on tuition. By being more aware of road accident hazards you may also save the extra costs that having a road accident can bring such as vehicle repair, car hire, and a raise in your car insurance rates. More experienced drivers are also usually more adept at getting from location to location more quickly which can save stacks of journey time. There is also more money to be saved since an advanced driver should have better handling of their vehicle, optimising the chance to be more economical with fuel.

So, advanced driving will help you onto the roads with more confidence and skill as a young driver. You will also feel more experienced on the roads and thus decrease your chances of causing a road accident. Passing an advanced driving course can save you time and money such as lowering your young driver car insurance rates. Hopefully, embarking on an advanced driving course will mean that you feel more prepared to brave the open road.

http://www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk

About the Author:
Katy Lassetter, Hoot Car Insurance Services www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk
Hoot Car Insurance Services are specialists in providing fantastically cheap young driver car insurance. For a free quote in matter seconds just call 0808 144 9954 or go to www.hootcarinsurance.co.uk
Submitted: 2006-02-16
Article Source: GoArticles

Car Accident Checklist: Are You Prepared?

I’ve got a confession to make. I’ve been in a car accident before. Granted, it wasn’t my fault at all (both my opinion and the insurance company’s opinion). However, once it happened, I realized that I should have been better prepared for the car accident the day it happened. Since I realized this, I decided to make a checklist for things to have in case of a car accident. Here we go

1) Insurance Papers. Make sure you have your insurance papers ready to give to the other party in case they need to see them. These can also come in handy to give to the Police if they arrive on the scene of the accident. In some states, having car insurance is mandatory for the operation of a motor vehicle and you can be fined if you don’t have any insurance. Make sure you insurance paperwork is in order before finding out that it is necessary to have.

2) Pen and paper. Guess what? Most people (myself included until recently) don’t carry around the necessary equipment in order to write down the other party’s information for insurance claim purposes. Make sure you buy some pens that actually have ink in them and some decent paper in order to write the driver’s information. Stow these handy items in your glove box and you’ll be ready.

3) Digital camera or cell phone camera. This can come in quite handy in the case of a disagreement of facts over what happened at an accident. After the accident happens, taking a few snap shots of both your vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle can be great evidence if there is a trial or if either insurance agency tries to deny responsibility. A lot of the newest cell phones come equipped with cameras inside of them that can take and store a huge amount of digital camera photos. Use your cell phone camera to take some on the scene snap shots.

There are a whole bunch of other important tips to keep in mind that make these look like the tip of the iceberg. Learn them all and you’ll be prepared.

About the Author:
Amy Metz is author of “Top Car Accident Tips.” Grab your copy at www.caraccidentlowdown.com.
Article Source: http://www.articles411.com

Chaos the Indian road traffic

It is hugely chaotic, functioning and surprising.

A German friend of mine traveling with me in India had one remark specially looking at the state of the traffic in the country –"I think India is a huge chaos by Western standards but a functional one, which is hugely surprising." Now that was about ten years back when we did not have the kind of automobile revolution we have grown used to since.

My friend told me that he had been a keen watcher of road life the first time he came in contact with Kolkata traffic, which at that point of time was moving towards improvements thanks to the metro railway. But that is history so to say.

Driving in India, and I am talking about metros of the country which has some semblances of gradual improvements, is a nightmare. For instance if you happen to be in one of the 'C' grade cities like Jabalpur it is not surprising to find the left-side traffic overflowing and plying against the right side, and often the tricycles criss-crossing like a free way, left, right and in all directions. Now that may take your goats if you are not used to this. This is one scenario the equally worse versions of which you may find just anywhere and if I may guess in over 70% of Indian roads. Road regulations, traffic safety, road safety, traffic rules in India, they all look a joke or at least not part of a layman road etiquettes.

Driving in India is much to do with the traditional convenience that a common road user could grow out of, thus making for the notorious driving conditions the country has. Now if in such a melee of motorists that one normally comes across in the non-metro India, something goes amiss which amounts to an accident, it does not raise eyebrows. Given the chaos India is probably the safest to drive for the skill a motorist cannot help developing over the years.

The issues like road rage are typically metro, wide-roads issues and India does not as many so far till it has its countywide network of expressways.

About the Author:
Tilak is a contributing author to the website Easy Drive Forum, It is the first ever Indian Road Traffic forum, It brings lots of Indian road users to a common platform, where they can discuss on Road safety in India.
Added: 28 Sep 2006
Article Source: http://articles.simplysearch4it.com/article/37949.html

The Importance of Snow Tire Chains

During the winters, drivers should take extra caution when driving. Snow and ice can spell trouble, especially for those drivers who do not have experience driving in those conditions, or those who fail to prepare. One of the most important aspects of winter car preparation is tire care. Snow tire chains provide one option for drivers who find themselves in slick conditions.

The first rule of tire chains is to make sure they can actually be used on your vehicle. That means dragging out the old owner's manual. After ensuring that tire chains are safe for your car, truck, of SUV, check with local law enforcement officers to make sure that chains are legal in your state. When shopping for snow tire chains, make sure that they fit the tires before actual use. Tire chains should be pre-fit long before going out into the snow. Drivers should carefully follow the directions of installing their tire chains, which should be applied as tightly as possible by hand. When installing the chains, tires should be at normal inflation - no deflating the tires for an easier application process! After putting the tire chains on all four tires, drive about one-quarter of a mile, then stop and retighten. When driving with snow tire chains, drivers should not exceed 30 miles per hour.

For cars, there are many snow tire chain options to choose from. Cable chains are the most economical choice; they are lightweight and often have galvanized steel rollers for increased traction on vehicles with limited fender clearance. Twist link chains are another economical choice for vehicles with minimal clearance. Highway chains are usually all-steel with a twist link design also, but these chains are designed for vehicles with non-restricted wheel well clearance, and the heavier chains provide added durability and traction. Sno Grip chains are an excellent option for winter weather - they provide superior traction and a smooth ride, and the square link design allows for better standing, stopping, and cornering than any other conventional ladder design. Road King chains offer a square link design, with a Y pattern chain. This offers drivers a comfortable, yet aggressive drive, with less vibration and noise. Finally, V-Bar snow tire chains provide aggressive traction for snow removal and emergency vehicles, but they should not be used on vehicles with restricted wheel well clearance.

Regardless of the brand or style of snow tire chains used, winter drivers should make sure that the chains are the proper fit and are correctly installed in order to offer the most protection for the driver and passengers.

About the author:
Elizabeth Morgan
Tire Chains Info provides detailed information about automatic, snow, tractor, truck, ATV, skidder, and snow blower tire chains, as well as tire chain rentals. Tire Chains Info is the sister site of Trailer Hitches Web.
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