How can you stay safe when driving at night?
Anyone who has long been a member of the trucking industry will tell you that spending so much of their daily lives on the road includes a heightened amount of risk. You can’t be responsible for your fellow drivers, leaving your one and only option as a keen sense of awareness and knowledge of advanced safety precautions. Although it is mandated that all members of the trucking industry clock out for proper sleep breaks during a given route, driving during the night is sometimes inevitable. In that case, your awareness and knowledge is always your greatest asset in staying safe along your journey!
Before Venturing Off
When getting ready to head out on the road, always be sure to have a small checklist of preliminary tasks that will help ensure your safest journey. Years in the trucking industry can definitely lead to helpful experience, but a solid safety routine before venturing off can be your healthiest habit.
- Prior to hitting the road, wipe your truck’s windshield with a newspaper. This practice may seem a bit odd, but the paper used in newsprint can remove residue on your windshield that could cause dangerous glare during night travel – much more effectively than a basic paper towel or rag.
- While you’re at it, run both the newspaper and then a clean, dampened cloth over all of your truck’s mirrors. Dirt and residue can cause glares once you’re on the road.
- If you’re heading out any time after twilight (that dangerous driving window when the sky is not quite light and not quite dark), dim the lights on your dashboard. As the night grows darker, the brightness of all those small lights could impair your vision and cause reflections on your windshield, adding visual difficulty.
When On the Road
Aside from all of the basic road safety that you’ve learned and put into effect during your time in the trucking industry, a few extra precautions for night driving couldn’t heard. For example, keep your eyes open for wildlife and small animals along the side of the road by spotting the retinas of their eyes. The light from your truck’s headlights will reflect off of the retinas of an animal before it actually comes into view – and this is particularly valuable to keep in mind, as they can dart out in front of you pretty quickly.
Evan Transportation was founded in 1992 by Jerry Wolfarth, who at the time had over 25 years of experience in the trucking and transportation industry. The initial operation consisted of a few trucks and drivers who were dedicated and professional. The goal of the company was, and remains, to provide excellent, dependable service.
Contact us today for all of your freight shipment needs or call us at 443-673-3365. We will discuss your tractor trailer options for the freight you wish to ship.
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Tags: driving at night, night driving