Night Driving | Steer Clear | State Farm® 

[MUSIC PLAYING] 

(Image)
An animated red car drives down the road 
during the day. A triangle illustrating the driver’s 
field of vision is shown. Scene switches to nighttime, 
showing that the driver’s vision is limited to what 
is directly in front of the vehicle. Vehicle hits a 
safety cone on the road. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Think about this. Most of our reactions to situations 
on the road are dependent upon our ability to see 
things. At night, our visibility is greatly reduced, making 
the crash rate higher than that of daytime driving.  
 
(Image)
Image switches to dashboard view from car. Outside the 
scene goes from day to night, highlighting the area 
illuminated by the headlights. Another car drives by 
with its headlights on and a street lamp is seen off 
in the distance. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Why is visibility reduced? To begin with, our normally 
wide field of vision is narrowed to only the field of view 
illuminated by our headlights, the headlights of other 
vehicles, and road lights. 

(Image)
Image switches to an aerial view of the road. The red 
car approaches another vehicle on the road. The 
headlights illuminate the space between them, 
then show the second car is yellow. The second 
vehicle drives off screen and a pot hole in the road
 appears that the red car swerves to miss. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Our depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral 
vision all may be off their game at night. With these 
not working as well, you may miss hazards on the road. 

(Image)
Areas around car that are part of the normal scanning 
routine – front, back and side of vehicle – are shown. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
That's why it’s important to stick to your 
normal scanning routine at night.  
 
(Image)
Continued aerial view of the red car driving 
on the road at night. Rain begins to fall.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
What's more, the pavement lines indicating 
driving lanes are harder to identify in the dark. This 
is especially true when roads are slick. 

(Image)
Car switches back and forth between high 
beams and low beams. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
When possible, use your vehicles high beams 
to help with visibility when there are no street 
lights. But remember to switch back to low 
beams as oncoming cars approach.  
 
(Image)
Dashboard view from vehicle is shown. Oncoming 
lights from another vehicle create a blinding 
glare for the driver.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Speaking of headlights, one of the most 
dangerous aspects of night driving is one 
that we can do little to control-- blinding glare 
from oncoming drivers. An immense amount 
of research has been conducted about glare 
and night vision. And research has shown the 
same startling conclusion. When your eyes are 
hit by a bright beam of light from an 
oncoming car, you'll likely have visibility issues. 

(Text on Screen)
Drivers can be affected by the oncoming glare 
of headlights as far as 3,000 feet away.

(Image)
Car continues driving in dark. An illustrated 
foot on the car’s accelerated is shown. 
The foot lets off the pedal as an oncoming 
car with blinding headlights passes. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Drivers can be affected by the oncoming 
glare of headlights as far as 3,000 feet away. 
If you feel you won't be able to see after a car 
approaching you has passed, slow down, and 
try not to look directly at those headlights. 

(Text on Screen)
Looking at the white line on the right shoulder 
for a second should help you avoid being blinded.  

(Image)
Car continues down road in the dark.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Looking at the white line on the right shoulder 
for a second should also help you avoid being blinded. 
 
(Text on Screen)
Common Errors When Driving at Night

(Image)
Red card drives down the road at night. An 
illustrated foot on the car’s accelerated is shown. 
The foot lets off the pedal slightly to show 
reducing speed.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Common errors when driving at night include 
driving the same speed as you do in daytime 
conditions. At night, you need to drive slower 
because it takes extra time to identify risks. 

(Image)
A speed limit sign appears with a 65 MPH speed 
limit for day and a 55 MPH speed limit for night.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Some states even have reduced speed limits at night. 

(Image)
A right curve road sign appears on the road. 
Road curves as vehicle continues to drive.  
 
(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Difficulty identifying lane markings especially 
when making turns-- if this has happened to you, 
continue to practice driving at night to correct
your lane placement. 

(Image)
An illustrated eye appears above the car in 
the sky. The vehicle approaches a road sign that 
is not clear to read. As the vehicle moves closer
to the sign, we can see that it is an eye chart. 
 
(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Another common error is that you may think 
your vision is better than it actually is. If you 
have vision problems, you may notice until you 
drive at night. For this reason, make sure to have 
your vision checked regularly. 

(Image)
A road sign for “State Law” appears at the side of
the road, then an illustrated card for a restricted 
license appears in the sky. An illustrated card for a 
licensed adult appears next to the other card. 
 
(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Driving when you're not aware of your state laws—
if you have a learner's permit or a restricted driver's 
license, be sure to check your state's graduated 
driver licensing law before driving at night. Many 
states prohibit solo driving unless accompanied 
by a licensed adult. 

(Image)
An illustrated clock appears in the sky as the 
car continues to drive down the road. 

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
And many states have curfews that control 
when young drivers can drive at night.  
 
(Text on Screen)
Following Too Closely

(Image)
Red car is shown following another red car. 
You can only see the top of the first vehicle 
because of how close the red car is following. 
An illustration of the rear view mirror from the 
first car appears in the sky showing the blinding 
view the close headlights can cause.

(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Following too closely-- this is always a dangerous 
way to drive, but it's especially bad at night, 
because the closer your headlights are to the car 
in front of you, the brighter and more distracting 
they can be. 

(Image)
Car continues to drive down road at night. 
The foot easing off the accelerator pedal is 
shown in the sky again, indicating the driver 
should slow down. Reminder illustrations about 
hazards and safety tips also appear: an eye for 
vision limitations, high beams when safe, and a 
field of view reminder. Car drives off screen.
  
(Speaker: Male Announcer)
Before your next night drive, remember to go 
slower than you do during the day. Be aware 
of vision limitations. Use your high beams when 
it's safe to do so. And constantly scan the roads 
for hazards.  
 
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