1994 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner's Manual - Page 135

Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlights can light up only so much road ahead. In remote areas, watch for animals. 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 thingat night as a 20-year-old. What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you're driving, don't wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlights, but they also make a lot of things invisible. You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. 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'tlower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlights), slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into theapproaching lights. Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean - inside and out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on theglass. Even the inside of the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that your headlights light up far less of a roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it's easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just asyour headlights should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night blindness - the inability to see in dim light - and aren'teven aware of it. Driving inthe Rain Rain and wet roads can meandriving trouble. On a wet road you can't stop, accelerate or turn aswell because your tire-to-road traction isn'tas good as on dry roads. And, if your tires don't have much tread left, you'll get even less traction. It's always wise to go slower and be cautious if rain startsto fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reflexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement. The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, aheavy rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, andeven people walking. 133