It's late and you're tired. The street is dark and there are few, if any, street lights. You would like to be in your home, in your bed and out of your car more than anything. You rub your eyes and turn up the stereo. Open the window to get some fresh air. Suddenly you're blinded by high beams shining through your windshield, or an animal darts in front of your car out of nowhere, or your tire blows out and your car skids. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Driving at night can be a scary place, full of unpredictable circumstances. But it doesn't have to be that way, as long as you follow a few guidelines and take the necessary steps to prepare you and your car for the night road. The National Safety Council says the road fatality rate is three times higher at night than during the day. Simply put, lack of light and impaired vision can make the road a dangerous place. Everything from depth perception to color recognition and peripheral vision is affected when it's dark. And things don't get better as we age. Drivers in their 50s may need twice as much light to see effectively than a 30-year-old. When you're tired you make mistakes. And being drowsy while driving can be as dangerous as being under the influence. When you are tired, your thinking is slowed and concentration is difficult, which leads to poor reaction times. Then there's the worst sin of all: driving under the influence of alcohol. DUI is responsible for nearly half of all motor vehicle-related deaths. The time drivers need to be most aware is during weekend nights. You can guarantee that not everyone will be sober while you are on the road. Be especially careful to leave plenty of space between your car and other drivers. To protect yourself and your passengers, there are a few steps you can take to make your ride smooth when the sun goes down: Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Prepare your car for night driving by keeping your headlights clear and free of haze and making sure they are all working properly. Having your headlights or taillights off makes it difficult for other drivers to see you coming and going. Drive sober. No alcohol or drugs that might impair your judgment or reaction times, or make you drowsy. Make sure you have emergency items in your car that are readily available if you need to change apartments or stop on the side of the road. Some orange triangles or large glow sticks are much less complicated to use than street flares. Make sure your spare tire has the correct pressure and that you have a tire change kit on hand. Drive slower at night and keep a greater distance between cars in front of you. If someone is driving too close to you or following you, simply change lanes and let them pass. Make sure you turn on the lights at dusk and not when it's already dark. The sooner other drivers can see you and the sooner you can see them, the better off you will all be. If you use high beams, be sure to turn them off as soon as you see the headlights or brake lights of another vehicle. If an oncoming driver doesn't turn off their high beams, make sure you look to the right of the road and don't change speed. If an animal unexpectedly jumps in front of your car, do not swerve or try to avoid it. Stay straight and don't change speed. If there is a car behind you and it is not following you at a safe distance or..