Many car accidents happen at night. Happy hour? Maybe. But in many cases, it’s just the loss of sunlight. Visibility gets really low when dusk comes. Here are some tips to avoid a nighttime fender-bender or worse.

• Ease off the pedal

  Depth perception gets muddled at night. So better slow down. You might be judging the distances wrong.

• Make sure all lights are operational

  Check them all - turn signals, headlights (both high and dim), . You also don’t want to be pulled over for a busted tail light.

• Dim/Turn off interior lights

  Lights inside the car can distort your night vision. So better dim your dash lights and turn off your dome light.

• Turn on your headlights as soon as dusk hits

  I’ve been guilty of this - forgetting to pop on headlights when it’s dark. When dusk strikes, your eyes still have some oomph on them to see the road quite clearly. But eyes start to adjust during dusk. So better pop them on in anticipation of darkness. Plus, other drivers may not have good night vision so it’s best to have them on.

• Remember to dim your lights

  Basic road courtesy when closely behind (no tailgating!) another vehicle or when approaching another - switch to dim. You don’t want to blind other driver. Momentarily blind drivers spell disaster. Some rude drivers may not dim theirs unless you do it first. So swallow your pride a bit and do so.

• Keep alert and awake

  Take breaks on long trips. Grab a cup of joe to keep you awake. It takes effort to concentrate on driving so it can tire you out. Also, you might experience “road hypnosis” staring at broken lines and cat’s eyes all trip long. So you might want to check in all directions to keep your eye alert.

• Buckle up

  Enough said.