WHEN it is raining but not dark enough to affect your visibility, you think you don’t need to switch on your headlights, isn’t it?
That would be a firm no. Putting aside the fact that road safety experts say there are other benefits to always driving with your lights on, doing this in wet weather has many more others than helping you see better.
MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert says if the safety benefits of having your lights on all the time have not convinced you, the importance of having them on during a storm should.
“Even when visibility seems minimally affected, your vision is still affected whether precipitation is mild, heavy or in-between. Central vision is affected when your windscreen wipers seem unable to keep up with the rain. You will also naturally focus more on the road ahead in all conditions, which affects peripheral vision. Lastly, even if it feels like your headlights are not helping, they are still helping other motorists to see you,” said Herbert.
Here are other reasons why headlights are important in the rain:
• When you turn your headlights on, it also turns your tail lights on, improving your visibility to drivers behind you.
• Headlights with older technology may appear weaker in rain because light beams are scattered. But this does not mean they do not increase visibility at all and, as mentioned, they are essential to help other drivers see you.
• Do not wait for rain to start before your turn them on. As you see weather starting to change, put them on.
• Do not use bright lights in wet weather. They create an even stronger glare for you and blind other traffic and pedestrians.
• In certain instances where the rain is dense and reflective, fog lights may be better than low beams because they have the least glare for the driver while still showing others you are there.
• In extremely heavy downpours, legally you should not turn emergency lights on unless you are in an emergency. Some drivers may mistaken them as a stationary car and take unnecessary and potentially dangerous evasive action.
• If your car has automatic headlights, keep this function on so your lights can adjust to rainy weather without any effort from you.
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As most of South Africa heads into the rainy season, check that your head and tail lights are in good working order by asking someone to help you check them or shining them against a wall or window that will reflect back to you.
