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While we might think of driving with sun glare to be a mild annoyance, it’s in fact a much more serious matter. Each year, around 2,000 collisions in the UK are caused by drivers who were distracted by the sun, and around 10% of those will result in fatalities. To put it another way, research from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) says bright sunlight can increase the risk of a life-threatening crash by 16 percent. That’s a scary thought.
With this in mind, pay attention to the following tips about how to deal with sun glare while driving.
The operative word here is “polarised”. While it’s important to wear sunglasses while driving, not any pair will do. Certain lenses might offer a unique aesthetic, but if they’re not polarised, then they won’t be filtering out the harsh rays that could affect you while driving. Don’t be fooled by high-end brands though, simply look for a company that offers high-quality polarised lenses without the brand-name price tag.
Another reason why you should invest: if you get caught driving on a sunny day without sunglasses, you could be facing an on-the-spot fine of £100, and that can rise to £2,500 in court. While this seems extreme, given the statistics listed above, we understand the severity.
If your windscreen is covered in dust and dirt, then you’ve going to have a doubly hard time when trying to combat sun glare. It might not seem so bad now, but trust us, when the sun is shining on it, you will regret not tending to it earlier!
Most petrol stations will have the appropriate cleaning equipment or, alternatively, you could find what you need online.
Not only will a chip develop into a crack over time and make your windscreen less safe structurally, but it also has the potential to make glare worse while driving. This is because a chip creates a host of additional surfaces for the light to bounce off, making the glare less uniform and more distracting.
For some reason, motorists are very fond of filling their dashboard with clutter. In fact, it’s almost as if certain items, such as bobbleheads and other brightly-coloured toys, were designed specifically to distract drivers. And don’t get us started on those boxing gloves you see dangling off rear-view mirrors.
Anyway, if you want a quick and easy way to deal with glare out on the road, have a clear dashboard. Not only are you removing things you could be distracted by, you’re also removing anything bright that the light could bounce off and make the glare worse.
If the glare is particularly bad, you might be tempted to pull your sun visor right down to give your eyes a break. While the sun visor can help you shield some of the glare, pulling it down too much could make viewing the entirety of the road very difficult, which could end up causing more problems than it solves.
1st Call Windscreens are the go-to windscreen repair and replacement specialists for Kent, Sittingbourne, and Maidstone. Since 1996, we’ve been dedicated to quick, precise installations at competitive prices – whether that’s your family car, a commercial van, or an emergency vehicle. Get in touch to discover more about our services and how we’re helping key workers during this time.
Posted by: 1st Call Windscreens
We are proud to be a leading windscreen company covering our local areas of Maidstone, Sittingbourne and the rest of Kent since 1996. Our 25+ years experience in windscreen services includes windscreen repair and replacement for cars, vans, trucks and more! Our expert technicians hold the relevant qualifications so you can rest easy knowing that your windscreen is in safe hands.
Discovered my Volvo V50 was not sealing at the top. Autoglass wanted to replace it for £700, called 1st Call and they removed and resealed it for £100+vat and said that if it had broken it would only ...
- 5 days ago
Absolutely the best. From the first phone call to collecting my car with new side window that had been vandalised being replaced. next day service so my car was back on the road promptly. Extremely ...
- 3 weeks ago
Excellent Workmanship Good Value and Top Quality Customer Service: I recently had my Ford Fiesta ST heated windscreen replaced by 1st Call Windscreens, I couldn't be happier with the whole experienc...
- 1 month ago
Brilliant service. Would recommend 1st call windscreens to anyone looking for an efficient service. Friendly and helpful above and beyond ! 0...
- 1 month ago
Asked for a quote online which came through quickly. Just £48 inc vat for windscreen stone chip. Phoned to book a repair. I could either take the car to them or they would come out to me the next day....
- 2 months ago
Tom turned up on time, he was professional but friendly, he kept me informed on what he was doing and progress, and did a great job! Thanks Tom. Would highly recommend...
- 2 months ago
I needed my windscreen replaced due to a large crack; I was booked in straight away and I couldn’t be happier. They came to my house to fit the replacement, only took them about 20 minutes and they ev...
- 3 months ago
Couldn't be happier, had my Evoque windscreen re sealed as was leaking. Highly recommend 1st Call Windscreens. The guys were extremely helpful & friendly both on phone and doing the work. The work was...
- 3 months ago
Fantastic service, booked for a site visit to alleviate any disruption to the engineers day and it all went seamlessly. I would definitely recommend 1st Call Windscreens and will use them in the futu...
- 3 months ago
Customer service were great responded to my call out vey quickly and the guy that came out was very nice and helpful Thank you...
- 4 months ago
Had my chip fixed at my home this afternoon - cannot praise the service enough!!!! Lovely man who took 10-15 minutes - perfect job and no issues - very good price and highly recommend them Jo Seveno...
- 5 months ago
Very helpful and carried out a repair at very short notice on our way to catch a ferry. Very polite and stabilised the chip in our windscreen so that we could continue abroad for our holiday uninterru...
- 6 months ago
Made a call to 1st call windscreens as I was worried about a chip in my screen. The guys were very helpful, turned up on time and carried out a fantastic repair and was cheaperthan my insurance acce...
- 6 months ago
We had an emergency windscreen repair needed when travelling down from Oxfordshire to Kent. The Sittingbourne team went out of their way to help us at very short notice and allowing us to resume our j...
- 6 months ago
Jake was friendly, polite and helpful. He left no mess inside or outside the car and took away the boxes the seals came in even though they were supplied direct by the BMW dealer....
- 7 months ago
Arrived on time at my home address. Was very professional, polite and efficient. No hassle and no mess. Screen was replaced on my mini in no time at all and looks perfect. Thank you will highly recom...
- 7 months ago
So happy with Byron and Jake today very friendly and professional from 1st Call Windscreens Ltd. They come extremely well prepared with attention to detail. A great job was done on replacing my wind...
- 7 months ago
1st Call windscreens are absolutely 1st class. Spoke with David on the phone and he was so helpful and knowledgeable. Took our car up to them to advise on the correct windscreens which embarrassingl...
- 7 months ago
George west from 1st call windscreens Ltd was quite friendly and managed to do a fantastic job on my stone CHIP WINDSCREEN....
- 7 months ago
Excellent all round service and a very quick response so we highly recommend 1st Call Windscreens every time....
- 8 months ago
Great service from Kieran. Easy to arrange. Convenience of a home visit and great professional job. So happy....
- 8 months ago
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