1997 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 181

Here aresome tips on night driving. a Drive defensively. e Don't drink and drive. 0 have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you're driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. Theymay cut down on glare from headlamps, butthey also make a lot of things invisible. Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare from headlampsbehind you. m Since you can't see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles. e Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlamps can light up only so much road ahead. e In remote areas, watch for animals. e If you're tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest. Night Vision No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old. What you do inthe daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wiseto wear sunglasses. Your eyes will You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn't lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed keadlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching headlamps. Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle much clean -- inside and out. Glare at night is made worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside the glass of can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzleand flash more than clean glasswould, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that your headlamps lightup far lessof a roadway when you are ina turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer fromnight blindness -- the inability to see in dim light-- and aren't even aware of it. 4-16