Ford Philippines shared four tips that can help you have a safer driving experience at night as navigating roads during nighttime can sometimes be a challenge due to many factors such as poorly lit thoroughfares.
This is why Ford, among many other car brands, is finding ways how to integrate their vehicles with the latest driver-assist features and safety technologies. As such, here are the tips shared by Ford PH when driving at night.
Headlights are more important than ever
It’s an obvious fact that you need to turn on your car’s headlights when driving at night as it can make the road visible when the sun has already set. However, one has to practice common road courtesy especially when switching your car’s headlights to high beam. The ray of light when the headlights are on high beam can cause glare or temporarily affect the vision of oncoming drivers.
Ford PH said that the LED headlights installed on the next-gen Ranger, Territory, and Everest are designed to provide ample visibility in darkness. What’s good is that the Ranger’s and Everest’s LED headlights come with Auto High-Beam teach, which automatically switches to high beam when drivers are navigating a very dark road with no traffic. The Blue Oval brand added that the Ranger and Everest come with a windshield-mounted camera that can detect the headlights or taillights of vehicles and bicycles up to 800m away at night.
Maintain a 4-second distance
It’s good practice to maintain a four-second distance from the vehicle in front of you when driving at night. This is to allow you enough time to react in case the vehicle upfront suddenly stops. Maintaining an ample following distance can also help you react better should there be an accident up ahead.
Ford PH mentioned that the next-gen Ford vehicles (Ranger, Territory, and Everest) are equipped with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop & Go function. This is a system that allows the driver to set his/her preferred cruising speed with the addition of adjusting the following distance to the vehicle ahead. When the ACC detects that the vehicle ahead is slowing down, it will also start to automatically decrease the speed of the specific Ford vehicle.
Stay in your lane
While driving late at night could mean fewer cars on the road, it does demand the driver to stay alert due to the limited lighting as well as other factors such as minding the speed limit. Avoid sudden lane switching and unnecessary overtaking to prevent accidents. Learn to be patient and practice staying in your lane – not unless you’re on the overtaking lane.
Ford PH highlights that its next-gen models are integrated with a range of advanced features to ensure the driver gets all the assistance they need to stay in their lanes when they need to, such as the Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Aid, and Collision Mitigation System.
Remain fully awake
This should always be the case when you’re behind the wheel. Drivers should always be up and alert to ensure safer drives whether it is during day- or night-time. Although, driving in the dark can cause drowsiness which significantly increases the probability that an accident may happen. One way to ensure that you’re wide awake is to play your favorite music through the Spotify app.
The next-gen Ford vehicles are integrated with a digital infotainment system that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allows you to play the best tracks on your playlist.
If it still doesn't keep you awake, it’s better to pull over to the nearest and safest part of the road for a quick nap.
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