Night driving can make some people a little anxious. Things can become a little stressful when the sun goes down, and drivers have to deal with decreased visibility, glaring headlights, and a restricted peripheral vision.

The darkness makes it harder to see other people or animals on the side of the road, and some drivers have trouble judging the distance between them and other obstacles.

There are some simple things you can do to increase your safety while on the road after dark. Take a look at these seven tips and start building your night driving skills today.

1. Don’t stare at the oncoming lights.

When it gets late, and you’ve been driving for a while, fatigue may start to set in, and you might catch yourself “caught in the headlights,” as it were.

The bright, oncoming headlights of other vehicles can become quite the distraction. More than that, when your eyes have gotten accustomed to the dimness inside your car, the sudden bright lights can ruin your night vision.

Instead of fixating on the lights, try to focus is on the right side of the road near the white lines. This will keep the glare out of your eyes and make sure you know where the road is leading.

And, if you’ve got someone’s glaring headlights in your rearview mirror, don’t stare into the mirror trying to figure out if they’ve got their high beams on or if it’s just a really big truck. You can adjust the rearview mirror to reflect the light backward and alert them to your discomfort. Use the day/night switch on the mirror and focus on the road ahead.

2. Watch for hazard indicators.

Don’t focus one a single point ahead of you to the exclusion of everything else. Keep your eyes moving and watching for signs of potential hazards.

For example, if you’re driving on country roads in the dark, large and small critters can suddenly appear in your way.

It’s hard to see them when they’re just standing still on the side of the road, but you can learn to watch for the signs. In this case, you may be able to spot two points of bright lights – the reflection of your headlights in their eyes.

When you see these types of hazard indicators, slow down and give yourself plenty of time to react.

3. Control the interior environment.

If your dashboard lights are too bright, they could reflect off your windshield and hinder your night vision. Dim the lights on the dashboard displays, on any GPS system that might be running, and any other light sources that could cause an unwanted glare.

It should go without saying (but we’re going to keep saying it anyway) that your cell phone should be set where any lights from its display won’t cause a distraction. The sudden illumination from a ringing phone can light up the entire interior of your car and disrupt your vision.

4. Distracted driving is bad enough during the day, don’t let it happen at night.

During daylight hours, statistics suggest that 660,000 drivers are handling cell phones or other electronic devices while they drive.

You are three times more likely to get into an accident when using a mobile device in the vehicle. Add to that the other challenges of night driving, and suddenly distracted driving is even more dangerous. So put the phone away until you get home.

5. Maintain your vehicle for night driving

A smear on your windshield can cause serious visibility problems. Unfortunately, you can’t always see them during the daylight hours, and they only become visible under the direct lights of an oncoming vehicle. Keep your windows clean, both inside and out.

You should also keep your headlights clean, your windshield fluid full, and have a microfiber or cotton cloth in the car at all times. This way, you can easily wipe off any fingerprints or smudges on the inside of the windows.

Finally, your regular vehicle maintenance should include making sure all the lights work correctly and that they’re aimed properly.

6. Deal with fatigue, don’t fight it or try to ignore it.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study suggested that 100,000 police reported collisions were a direct result of driver fatigue every year. This leads to more than 70,000 injuries and over 1,500 deaths out on the road.

Other studies have shown that fatigue-related collisions are most common in younger drivers, and that most of these  happen at night, generally between midnight and 4 am.

The answer is to spot the signs of fatigue and to deal with them. Find a safe place to pull over for a while. Don’t try to convince yourself that louder music, colder AC, or the coffee you had an hour ago will keep you awake.

7. Think proactively

Defensive driving is proactive driving. It means you’re always watching for potential hazards and you always know how you’ll react in certain situations. This is extremely important when you’re driving at night.

Always leave plenty of room between you and the car ahead, because they may see something and react in unexpected ways. You have to react just as quickly, and you have to react correctly.

It’s also important to remember that your low beams can only illuminate so much of the road, and even high beams won’t give you much time to reach if you’re going too fast. Examine your surroundings, consider the potential hazards, and modify your driving to match the situation.

Driving at night may pose a few extra challenges, but if you adopt some of these techniques and tips, you can make the journey much safer.

Slick roads, and poor visibility often makes winter driving treacherous. Don’t get into one of the many winter driving pile ups that happen all too often. Below are some tips to help you avoid them.

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Halloween is scary for more than one reason – namely, that twice as many child pedestrians are killed on Oct. 31 than any other day of the year.

In an effort to keep trick-or-treaters safe, SWERVE Driving School, which provides defensive driving courses and drivers education, has compiled a list of safe driving tips for Halloween:

• The days are getting shorter, it’s getting dark earlier and children and adults alike will be wearing dark costumes and clothes. People will be out and about, and all drivers should practice defensive driving when behind the wheel, driving very slowly in residential areas, observing traffic laws, school zones and speed limits and taking special care to look both ways before turning.
• Always use turn signals, even if you’re close to home or just driving down the block. Pedestrians can be difficult to see in costumes and masks.
• Decorations can be distracting for drivers – keep your eyes peeled for unexpected objects such as pumpkins in the road and flashing lights and signs.
• Check your city’s posted times for trick-or-treating, and avoid driving during these times if possible.

For more information on these and other driving tips, or to sign up for teen or adult driving classes through SWERVE in your area, click here.

It’s already August, meaning school is around the corner. Your mornings are about to get chaotic and frantic trying to get everyone out the door on time. Though you may be tempted to drive more aggressively than normal, trying to beat the clock is not worth the cost of a life.

The National Safety Council cites that most incidents involving kids happen in close proximity to schools. As a driver, you have the power to help avoid these incidents through defensive driving. Here are some safe driving tips:

Pedestrians:

There will be many kids and their parents walking and running on the sidewalks and even in the street. The best thing to do as a driver is to anticipate sudden behavior. Kids can be unpredictable and they are not always aware of their surroundings. Below are some other safe driving tips for pedestrians:

• Don’t block a crosswalk or intersection when waiting for a red light or making a left hand turn.
• In a school zone where the caution lights are flashing, you are to obey the speed limit and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists in the crosswalks.
• Don’t pass a vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians
• You must always stop for a crossing guard or school patrol officer who is holding a stop sign.
• Always use caution and be on the look-out for children

Bicyclists:

Kids and bikes together can be a driver’s nightmare. Here are some additional safe driving tips to help you navigate around young cyclists:

• Be careful and watchful for bicyclists near schools, parks, and residential areas.
• When making a left-hand turn, yield to a bicyclist coming from the opposite direction before making your turn. This situation is where the most bike and vehicle incidents and collisions occur.
• When making a right-hand turn, check your mirrors for bicyclists. If a bicyclist is present, leave at least feet between your car and the bicyclist. Seek to make eye contact and allow the bike to pass you before you turn.
• Check your side mirrors before opening your car door and always use your turn signals.

School Busses:

It is also inevitable that you’ll also run into a few school buses along the way. Buses are slow and nobody wants to be stuck behind them. It is important to note, however, that according to the National Safety Council states that kids are more likely to die in school bus-related incidents at drop-off and pick-up sites than anywhere else. It is, then, even more, important to drive safely and cautiously around busses. Below are some safe driving tips around school buses:

• When coming to a stop behind a stopped school bus, stay at least 10 feet away so children exiting the bus can do so safely.
• It is illegal in every state to pass a school bus while its yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended.
• Even after the bus turns off its lights and its stop arm is no longer extended, you should not pass it as there will be kids around and some may want to cross the road.

Other drivers:

In the craziness of school, drop-offs, you can count on other drivers to be just as harried as you are. You can’t control how other people drive, but you can control how you drive. Instead of tailgating and blaring the horn, here are some tips to help you safely deal with other drivers:

• Leave a safe following distance. You never know when or if they’ll need to suddenly stop. A safe following distance will help you avoid you rear-ending them.
• Don’t pass a stopped car. The car can be stopped to drop off children or it can be stopped to let kids cross the street. Kids are notorious for meandering in and around parked cars.
• Avoid trying to squeeze by cars to make a right-hand turn. This maneuver may cause you to get within a few feet of kids on the sidewalk who can jump into the street suddenly for multiple reasons.
• Don’t honk. All the other drivers are likely to be stressed out too. The alarming sound of a car horn can rattle other drivers, even more, increasing their chances of making poor driving decisions.

Along with other frantic drivers, there may be some inexperienced teen drivers on the road taking siblings to school. You can be a good example for these new drivers by being patient and practicing safe driving.

Let this school year be safe for everyone. It starts with your defensive driving, anticipation, and patience. If you think your safe driving skills aren’t up to snuff, we offer adult driving refresher courses to help your confidence behind the wheel.