A driver speeds home on winding roads as familiar as the back of his hand, but the dense fog prevents him from being seen by an out-of-state driver traveling in the opposite direction, resulting in a deadly head-on collision.

Motorists on the freeway are suddenly caught in a gusty rain shower, which kicks up clouds of dust and abruptly halts visibility for all vehicles without fully functioning wiper blades; a multi-car pileup ensues.

An overwhelming number of car accidents are caused by decreased visibility and could have been prevented by the drivers involved taking appropriate measures to see and be seen. These tips will help all drivers increase the visibility of their car to others and maximize their ability to see clearly while driving; following them faithfully will help make our roadways safer for everyone.

Increasing the Visibility of Your Car

Making sure your car can be seen clearly from a distance helps other drivers avoid hitting you and minimizes the likelihood of surprising other vehicles that share the road.

1. Choose a car in a color visible under most light and weather conditions. Dark, neutral colors such as black, gray or deep greens and blues are hard to see in the dark and during rainstorms and decrease the vehicle's visibility. White, red and bright, light colors, such as yellow, are the easiest for other drivers to see.


2. Turn on car headlights at all times while driving. Use fog lights in dense fog and headlights under all other conditions. Use high beams on dark, windy and desolate roads to simultaneously increase your visibility to others and increase your ability to see obstacles on the road; lower the high beams when another car comes into view - the high beams will have alerted them to your presence.


3. Check your headlamps regularly for brightness and change the bulbs when necessary. Clean the headlight lenses free of dust and dirt regularly.

Increasing Visibility While Driving

As a driver, your ability to see obstacles and dangers quickly under all light and weather conditions is imperative to the prevention of unnecessary collisions.

1. Get your eyes checked regularly and always wear up-to-date corrective lenses. If wearing contact lenses while driving, pull over and remove them when your eyes become dry and wear prescription glasses instead. Never drive without wearing some form of corrective lens if you require a prescription, failure to do so could result in you being held liable for negligence in an accident.


2. Make sure that the sun visors in your car are functioning correctly and keep a pair of clean sunglasses on hand for those times when you must drive while looking directly into the sun.


3. Keep your wiper blades in good condition and replace them regularly. Use high-quality wiper blades and consider having them installed by a professional, rather than attempting this operation yourself.


4. Keep your windshield-wiper fluid full and repair damaged wiper nozzles immediately when they become clogged.


5. Wash all the windows of your car each time you fill your gas tank so that you have a clear, unobstructed view from all sides.


6. Make sure the rear and side view mirrors are all positioned correctly before you begin to drive.