INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Picture this: You've had a long day at work or a long ordeal at the grocery store and you're ready to drive home. So when you get in your car, you immediately take your face mask off and hang it on your mirror.
Sounds normal, right?
That's not a smart move according to the AAA.
AAA East Central wants to remind motorists that hanging items from a rear-view mirror, including protective masks, is a safety hazard. Hanging your maks from the rearview mirror has the potential to partially block your field of vision, putting you and others in harm’s way.
“It is essential to have a completely clear field of vision while driving,” says Lori Cook, safety advisor for AAA East Central. “Motorists should keep their masks in their glove boxes, middle consoles, or back seats to avoid this preventable hazard.”
Ohio law states that vehicle operators "shall have a clear and unobstructed view to the front or sides of their vehicles." AAA says that in a typical city, a motorist encounters as many as 200 different situations per mile. The eyes provide nearly all of the information needed to respond to road conditions, traffic patterns, signals, and signs. Obstructing this field of vision, even partially, can cause you to miss things that should be seen, such as signs, pedestrians, wildlife, motorcycles, bikes, or other vehicles.
Some other vision related driver safety tips include:
- Scan the roadway and shoulder, median areas 30 seconds ahead.
- At night, adjust your speed to the range of your headlights.
- Read signs by shape and color.
- Dim dash lights when driving after dark. Remove any light-colored or reflective materials from the dash.
- To cope with glare, adjust the rearview mirror to the night setting.
- As vehicles approach at night, look toward the right side of the road.
- Keep a flashlight on hand to read signs and house numbers when driving after dark.
Lexi Hazlett of KENS 5 contributed to this report
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