Page 31 - Final GA Parent Teen Driving Guide Updated August 2021

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SESSIONS 31 40

Driving After Sunset
Driving after sunset presents a new set of
challenges. The obvious challenges are glare
and reduced visibility. The first routes your teen
drives after sunset should be on low volume
roadways that the new driver has had some
driving experience on during daylight. The
guided practice night driving sessions should
be integrated with the 30 daylight sessions.
Vision is severely limited at night. The vehi-
cle’s narrow headlight beams limit the driver’s
view of the area ahead, and the off-road area
may not be visible at all. In addition, the new
driver will find it difficult to determine the size,
speed, color, and distance of objects. Coach
your teen to try to look at the outer fringes of his
or her headlight beams to get the best picture of
possible dangers ahead and to the sides of the have passed it, you are driving too fast. Remind the headlights of cars behind you and a dirty
vehicle. Emphasize the need to reduce speed your teen that posted speed limits are calcu- windshield. Adjust your rearview mirror to
and to increase following distance. In addition, lated for daylight driving and are often too fast the “night” setting and side view mirrors to
dirt on the headlight lenses can reduce their for nighttime conditions. reduce glare. Dirt on glass will reflect rays of
effectiveness by as much as 75%. light, either from the sun or headlights, and
Avoid using a light inside the car because Blinded add to glare.
this will also greatly reduce your night vision.
When blinded by the headlights of oncoming
cars, coach your teen to look to the right-hand
Overdriving Your Headlights
side of the lane and to make brief, frequent
Overdriving your headlights occurs when glances at the target ahead keeping the oncom-
the vehicle’s stopping distance is greater than ing cars in the corner of the driver’s vision.
the area illuminated by the headlights. To Scan this QR
determine whether you are overdriving your Glare code with your
headlights, have your teen select an object the mobile device
moment the headlights pick it up, and count Glare recovery is the time it takes your eyes to view the
off 6 seconds. If the object is still ahead of the to adjust after being blinded by bright lights. video online.
vehicle, you are driving at a safe speed. If you Oncoming traffic is the primary source of glare
when driving at night. Glare is also caused by

CHECKLIST FOR SESSIONS 31-40

Place “S” for satisfactory as the following tasks are completed:
Looks at outer fringes of headlight beams to identify hazards
Reduces speed

Increases following distance
Checks headlight lenses for cleanliness

Overdriving your headlights

Drives at a safe speed for nightime conditions

Blinded

Frequently glances at target on the right side of the lane
Maintains vision of oncoming traffic

Glare

Maintains clean windshield

Adjusts mirrors to reduce glare

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