Daylight Saving Time officially has officially begun.
Travel and commuting during darker mornings and brighter evenings can cause problems for motorists and pedestrians. AAA offers the following suggestions for both groups.
Motorists:
- Rest up: Get plenty of rest before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you do begin to feel drowsy while driving, pull over immediately and rest or call a family member or friend for assistance.
- Be prepared for morning and afternoon sun glare: Sun glare in the morning or early evening can cause temporary blindness. To reduce the glare, wear high-quality sunglasses and adjust the car’s sun visors as needed. Use of the night setting on rear view mirrors can reduce glare from headlights approaching from behind.
- Car care maintenance: Keep headlights, tail lights, signal lights, and windows (inside and out) clean.
- Ensure headlights are properly aimed: Mis-aimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce visibility.
- Keep headlights on low beams when following another vehicle so other drivers are not blinded.
- Reduce your speed and increase your following distances: It’s more difficult to judge other vehicles’ speeds and distances at night.
- Be mindful of pedestrians and crosswalks: Yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks.
Pedestrians:
- Cross at intersections or crosswalks: Don’t cross in the middle of the street or between parked cars and don’t jaywalk.
- Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks: If you have to walk on a road that doesn’t have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.
- Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.
- Wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you’re walking near traffic at dawn, dusk and night and carry a flashlight when walking in the dark.
- Allow extra time and distance for a vehicle to stop in inclement weather.
- While walking, pocket the cell phone and avoid listening to music at a volume that prohibits you from hearing approaching danger.
- Don’t let umbrellas or jacket hoods block your view of approaching traffic.