Which of these is a good thing to do when driving at night cdl

Truck driving at night has its pros and cons. For many truckers, nighttime is the best time to drive. In most locations, this means no cars on the road, less roadwork and beautiful views. That said, truck driving at night can be dangerous. Half of all traffic accidents occur in the evening and night hours. Those accidents are typically the result of one main factor: fatigue. According to several studies, drowsy driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving, and comes with many of the same side effects, including confusion, hallucinations, muscle weakness, impaired decision making and slow reaction times.

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Truck Driving at Night – 5 Safety Tips
Avoid Drowsy Driving
Avoid Impaired Vision
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
Maintain Your Vision
Drive the Speed Limit
Night Driving Recap
Driver Factors
Vehicle Factors
Night Driving Tips

Drowsy driving is a top cause of trucking accidents, which is why the federal government stepped in and created truck driving regulations that all drivers—whether self-employed or employed, and throughout all states—must abide by. A few of those regulations dictate how many hours a trucker is permitted to drive in any given workday and workweek, and how often a trucker must stop to rest. However, none of those regulations dictate during which hours a trucker must haul his or her cargo.

How Long Can Truckers Drive Before Taking a Break?

Of course, fatigue isn’t the only cause of night time accidents. Other factors that may lead to accidents at night include:

Reduced vision
Wildlife
Drunk drivers
Human error

Truck Driving at Night – 5 Safety Tips

If you’re a trucker and routinely drive at night, there are a few tips that you can implement to stay safe while on the clock.

Avoid Drowsy Driving

Of course, this is easier said than done. Nobody plans to be tired, but there are steps you can take to decrease your risk for fatigue during your normal driving hours.

First and foremost, get a good night’s sleep, and not just the night before you’re set to drive. Get a good night’s sleep every night, as inadequate sleep will catch up with you. Some other things you can do to reduce the risk of drowsy driving incidents include taking regular breaks, sharing the drive, staying alert for other tired drivers and pulling over to take a nap when you begin to feel tired.

Avoid Impaired Vision

Impaired vision is not uncommon at nightfall. No matter how great you think your vision is, certain factors can get in the way of what lies on the road ahead. Some such factors include your dashboard lights, a dirty windshield, oncoming traffic, driving too fast, using your phone or not wearing the proper eye gear. Some steps you can take to reduce accidents caused by impaired version include:

Dim your dashboard lights
Drive the speed limit
Avoid looking at oncoming traffic
Refrain from using your phone
Clean your windshield
Wear prescription glasses (if required)

Ways to Reduce Distractions While you Drive

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

No matter how safe of a driver you are, there is not much that you can do about other drivers on the road, or wildlife for that matter. Both wildlife and drunk drivers have a tendency to come out of nowhere, which can mean bad news for those driving truck at night. Though you cannot necessarily prevent an animal or impaired driver from crossing your path, you can control how you react to it. By remaining vigilant and keeping your eyes peeled on the road ahead of you, you can give yourself adequate time to prepare and act accordingly.

Maintain Your Vision

You cannot control the vision you were born with, but you can control what you make of it. The American Optometric Association recommends that all individuals, and not just those with bad vision, get checkups every three years before the age of 40, and every two years between the ages of 40 and 60. An optometrist can ensure that your vision is healthy and, if it’s not, ensure that you have the contact lenses or glasses so that it appears that way.

Drive the Speed Limit

You may be in a hurry to get to the next job, but driving fast may set you back even further. Speeding can result in both traffic tickets and accidents. If you’re driving too fast, you may not see that animal jump out at you, or that drunk driver coming from the side. Do yourself and others on the road a favor and drive the speed limit.

Truck Drivers – Nighttime Driving Safety Tips [YouTube Video]

Night Driving Recap

Truck driving at night can be both peaceful and rewarding, but it can also be dangerous. Stay safe and drive smart by implementing these simple tips into your routine:

Avoid drowsy driving
Avoid impaired vision
Keep your eyes peeled
Maintain your vision
Drive the speed limit

If you are involved in an accident, your trucking liability insurance should be able to cover the cost of damages. However, insurance is just a fallback measure, and it cannot keep you or other drivers on the road safe from harm. Your own common sense and good judgement can. Exercise both when out on the open road and you may be able to avoid night time accidents altogether.

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You are at greater risk when you drive at night. Drivers cannot see hazards as soon as in daylight, so they have less time to respond. Drivers caught by surprise are less able to avoid a crash. The problems of night driving involve a combination of driver, roadway and vehicle factors.

Driver Factors

Vision:

People cannot see as sharply at night or in dim light. Also, their eyes need time to adjust to seeing in dim light. Most people have noticed this when walking into a dark movie theater.

Glare:

Drivers can be blinded for a short time by bright light. It takes time to recover from this blindness. Older drivers are especially bothered by glare. Most people have been temporarily blinded by camera flash units or by the high beams of an oncoming vehicle. It can take several seconds to recover from glare. Even 2 seconds of glare blindness can be dangerous. A vehicle going 55 mph will travel more than half the distance of a football field during that time. Do not look directly at bright lights when driving. Look at the right side of the road. Watch the sidelines when someone coming toward you has very bright lights.

Fatigue and Lack of Alertness:

Fatigue (being tired) and lack of alertness are bigger problems at night. The bodyʼs need for sleep is beyond a personʼs control. Most people are less alert at night, especially after midnight. This is particularly true if you have been driving for a long time. Drivers may not see hazards as soon or react as quickly, so the chance of a crash is greater. If you are sleepy, the only safe cure is to get off the road and get some sleep. If you do not, you risk your life and the lives of others.

How do you find out how many seconds of following distance space you have.
If you are driving a 30-foot vehicle at 55 mph, how many seconds of following distance should you allow?
You should decrease your following distance if somebody is following too closely. True or False?
If you swing wide to the left before turning right, another driver may try to pass you on the right. True or False?

Study section 2.7 if you can't answer all of these questions.

In the daytime there is usually enough light to see well. This is not true at night. Some areas may have bright street lights, but many areas will have poor lighting. On most roads you will probably have to depend entirely on your headlights.

Less light means you will not be able to see hazards as well as in daytime. Road users who do not have lights are hard to see. There are many accidents at night involving pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists and animals.

Even when there are lights, the road scene can be confusing. Traffic signals and hazards can be hard to see against a background of signs, shop windows and other lights.

Drive slower when lighting is poor or confusing. Drive slowly enough to be sure you can stop in the distance you can see ahead.

Drunk Drivers:

Drunk and/or drugged drivers are a hazard to themselves and to you. Be especially alert around closing times for bars and taverns. Watch for drivers who have trouble staying in their lane or maintaining speed, stop without reason, or show other signs of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Vehicle Factors

Headlights:

At night your headlights will usually be the main source of light for you to see and for others to see you. You cannot see nearly as much with your headlights as you can see in the daytime. With low beams you can see ahead about 250 feet and with high beams about 350–500 feet. You must adjust your speed to keep your stopping distance within your sight distance. This means going slow enough to be able to stop within the range of your headlights. Otherwise, by the time you see a hazard, you will not have time to stop.

Night driving can be more dangerous if you have problems with your headlights. Dirty headlights may give only half the light they should. This cuts down your ability to see and makes it more difficult for others to see you. Make sure your lights are clean and working. Headlights can be out of adjustment. If they do not point in the right direction, they will not give you a good view and can blind other drivers. Have a qualified person make sure they are adjusted properly.

Turn Signals and Brake Lights:

At night your turn signals and brake lights are even more important for telling other drivers what you intend to do. Make sure you have clean, working turn signals and stop lights.

Other Lights:

For you to be seen easily, the following must be clean and working properly:

Reflectors
Marker lights
Clearance lights
Taillights
Identification lights

Windshields and Mirrors:

It is more important at night than in the daytime to have a clean windshield and clean mirrors. Bright lights at night can cause dirt on your windshield or mirrors to create a glare of its own, blocking your view. Most people have experienced driving toward the sun just as it has risen or is about to set and found that they can barely see through a windshield that seemed to look OK in the middle of the day. Clean your windshield on the inside and outside for safe driving at night.

Night Driving Tips

Pre-Trip Procedures:

Make sure you are rested and alert. If you are drowsy, sleep before you drive. Even a nap can save your life or the lives of others. If you wear eye glasses, make sure they are clean and unscratched. Do not wear sun glasses at night. Do a complete pre-trip inspection of your vehicle. Pay attention to all lights and reflectors and clean those you can reach.

Avoid Blinding Others:

Glare from your headlights can cause problems for drivers coming toward you. Headlights also can bother drivers going in the same direction as you, when your lights shine in their rearview mirrors. Dim your lights before they cause glare for other drivers. Dim your lights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle and when following another vehicle within 500 feet.

Use High-Beams:

Some drivers make the mistake of always using low-beams. This seriously cuts down on their ability to see ahead. Use high-beams when it is safe and legal to do so. Use them when you are not within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle. Also, do not let the inside of your cab get too bright. This makes it harder to see outside. Keep the interior light off, and adjust your instrument lights as low as you can and still read the gauges.

If Get Sleepy, Stop Driving:

Drivers often do not realize how close they are to falling asleep even when their eyelids are falling shut. If you can safely do so, look at yourself in a mirror. If you look sleepy, or you just feel sleepy, stop driving! You are in a very dangerous condition. The only safe cure is to sleep.

This will frequently show up on the written exam. So remember that you are required to dim your high-beam headlights within 500ft of an oncoming vehicle or within 500 feet behind a vehicle.

Have a general understanding that high-beam headlights should be used whenever legally possible.

While there is nothing to really memorize here, questions about fatigue come up fairly often. So it's important to be familiar with the below info.

A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.

Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

Operating While Intoxicated

When an approaching vehicle has bright headlights, you should:

Look towards the right side of the road such as the right shoulder or curb
Look towards the left side of the road such as the left shoulder or curb
Flash your high-beams to let the other driver know their lights are too bright
Stare directly at the oncoming vehicle so you don't lose sight of its location

With low-beam headlights, approximately how far ahead can you see?

At night your headlights will usually be the main source of light for you to see and for others to see you. You cannot see nearly as much with your headlights as you can see in the daytime. With low beams you can see ahead about 250 feet and with high beams about 350-500 feet. You must adjust your speed to keep your stopping distance within your sight distance. This means going slow enough to be able to stop within the range of your headlights. Otherwise, by the time you see a hazard, you will not have time to stop.

At what distance should you dim your high-beam headlights for oncoming traffic?