Driving seems to be a daily job for some people. Although it is normal, it is sometimes unsafe. According to the statistics, there are thousands of accidents every hour around the world. The reason somehow is due to the lack of street lights.
If you are concerned about this problem, you should go through the top 7 ways to drive safely when there is no street light as follows.
Page Contents
Why Are Street Lights Necessary on The Road?
As you may know, the main reason for accidents on the road is the shortage of street lights. Pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers may face many dangerous issues when there are not enough street lights.
Particularly, some country roads are super dangerous without street lighting as they are winding and narrower. Besides, commuters might also encounter some extra hazardous things from the wildlife.
Tips To Drive Safely When There Are No Street Lights
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1. Pay attention and be calm
Normally, when the road lighting system is poor or even if there is no lighting, some people might feel worried and uncomfortable. It is indeed a natural feeling in this situation, but it might become more intimidating than you expect.
It is better to keep calm and be conscious of surrounding risks. In some research, the possibility of a car collision is higher in bad lighting conditions and during the nighttime. Thus, paying attention to the road seems to be the best way to deal with this situation.
2. Always keep your headlights turn on
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It is essential to use the headlight beam if there is no light on the road. The headlight beams help you to spot several bumps easily. In this situation, you should use high-beam lights. But, when a car comes from the opposite direction, you should switch to low-beam lights at once.
By doing that, the drivers of other directions will not be blinded, avoiding a car accident. You can use these lights when you drive on highways or in rural areas.
3. Keep distance
If the road has no street light, especially at night, the visibility will be limited. Hence, you should keep a certain pace with other cars, which helps to handle the situation better. Moreover, you also need to keep your distance from curbs.
For the road’s topography, you should watch out for the boundary lines. In case you drive on the hilly road, you had better drive near the cliff instead of the abyss. You cannot know and imagine what will happen if your vehicle plunges into the abyss.
4. Take a break during a long distance
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It is highly recommended to take a regular stop if you must drive a long distance. The rest duration can be 15 minutes. So, if you are exhausted, stop the car, eat food, and drink water. If you fell asleep, you should take a short nap before turning back to the road.
A small note is that you have to switch the signal light on if you stop. Also, you need to have your car stay near the curb and lock all the doors carefully. Thus, you will have absolute safety without affecting other vehicles.
5. Pay attention to the road markings
It is necessary to focus on the markings when you are driving at night or during daylight. The road signs are an indicator for you to know what might come in the way ahead. Put it differently, these road markings keep you aware so that you are able to go forward without any trouble.
For instance, when you see the markers saying, “Work going on Ahead”, it means there are some bumps ahead. Hence, you have to slow down to avoid some possible damage. Besides, if you drive in an area that is near a forest, you may see a road marker saying, “Animals Ahead”.
Briefly, you should drive slower than usual to protect yourself from damage when there is no street light.
6. Inflate your vehicle’s tires
Source: forbes.com
The tires also play an important role besides the headlight system, especially when you are on the road during the night. You might not want to solve any problems relating to the tire at night without any light streets. Believe me, it is very annoying!
So, you make sure that your car tires are inflated. Moreover, you should check the fluid and oil levels to replace them if necessary. You can use the handheld gauge to check your tire pressure. Also, you should see the instructions on how to fix the tire pressure that is shown on your car’s side door, or you can find them out in the instructions for the drivers here.
7. Keep your vehicle slow
As you may know, speeding up sometimes is the cause leading to 37% of fatalities on the road. This percentage is lower in the daylight, but it still is one of the main reasons that result in car accidents.
If you see no street light, slowing down your vehicle is a must as you will have enough time to react to what might happen suddenly. Besides, you should make some suitable speed adjustments if needed.
Where Should the Street Light Be Provided?
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Pedestrian Crossing
Providing the lighting at pedestrian crossings makes pedestrians visible to motorists and drivers. The lightings help pedestrians detect the hazards during the nighttime and locate the safe points.
Mid-block
Source: nacto.org
Improving the street lighting at mid-block is a great idea as it helps to make road features visible to pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Some features on the road you may notice are curbs, road alignment, street furniture, footpaths, surface conditions, and some other objects.
Intersection
It is essential to provide a lighting system at this location because it can lower the nighttime collisions. Besides, the lighting at intersections can help to navigate so that drivers can see the traffic queues, turning vehicles, and the intersecting road.
Verdict
Above are the top 7 ways to drive safely when there is no street light. Taking all the mentioned tips into account and learning to keep passengers and yourself safe can enhance your driving experience.
