Two Danger Points for Drivers: Dawn and Dusk

Sunrise is no driver's dream. The oceanic glare that Hollywood recorded On Golden Pond-and everywhere else it could find-means seasonal blindness for commuters. Those safety mirrors only multiply a nightmare even before the traffic jam begins. So, will you bring your shades with you? They better be for your eyes, too. No driver can afford to keep shifting the overhead shield while accessing crowded lanes.

Correct sunglasses can reduce more than glare. They can decrease a driver's chances of ending up in the morgue. They can actually enhance the stop and go lights directing traffic that inevitably includes other drivers who left their shades somewhere besides the glove compartment. How about leaving a pair there because you know this emergency hits twice every day?

Timing can also make the difference between pulling off the road for safety's sake or continuing on with your journey.. Local weather information regularly includes data on when the sunrise occurs. It can be useful to consider rescheduling calls and filing-if reorganization can give you back your eyes on the road. You can move activities susceptible to retiming: meals, chats, and preparatory work of any kind.

For the return trip, please remember: Home is not the only thing that is just a race away. So is an ambulance. If you do get caught in the world's worst traffic jam-which can happen with remarkable regularity-bring snacks, too. Keep all communication devices in good condition: They alone may be able to tell you if you'll get home tonight or some time next year.

No resource can prove more helpful, perhaps, than knowing that route like a sandbox you've been playing in all your life. As the sun recedes, it fools all of us into believing that peace automatically descends with a silver-gray stillness. Yet statistics reveal that accidents are increasingly likely to occur just when we drop our alertness level. One insurance website after another emphasizes that motorists cram highways right at the most visually deprived times of the day.

The danger derives then both from increased drivers and reduced light. The Tucson Citizen website reminds readers of the inescapable dilemmas peculiar to dawn and dusk: "Consider that during early morning and evening rush hours, when the numbers of cars, trucks and bicycles on the streets are greatest, visibility is poor and drivers may not be alert. And, during evening rush hour, some motorists may be driving after attending happy hour."

As if partying drivers were not enough to cause anxiety, it is only reasonable also to expect that cyclists and deer may be hidden in brush and roadsides. The Safety Code for Cyclists in New Zealand states: "You must ride with lights on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise - just like motorists must." Then ask yourself this question: Do you live in New Zealand?

Deer remain the driver's demon in the United States. Deer don't read laws. Deer don't wear lights of any kind. You can't take them to court, and you'll never know where they'll be before they turn up there. And the bad news, according to IHitADeer.com, is this: "Watch out between dusk and dawn. Deer move back and forth from daytime bedding sites to evening feeding areas, just as drivers are hampered by dim light or darkness. Look for the shine of a deer's eyes."

According to the same website, the good news is this: "More than half of deer-vehicle crashes occur during the October-November mating season or in the May-June season when fawns are born. Deer are most active then." So, we've got five months to prioritize evading The Invisible Men and Women of America before anticipating the deer-in-the-headlights look. Don't let it be yours.