Why You Should Wear Sunglasses While Driving

Photo by Darwis Alwan from Pexels (Why You Should Wear Sunglasses While Driving)

Everyone knows someone who refuses to drive without first putting on a pair of sunglasses. In some cases, we might even be that person who never leaves home without our favourite driving glasses. Sure, it might look and feel cool to do so, but did you know that there are some legitimate benefits to doing so?

That’s right! Besides adding a touch of style to our outfits, sunglasses offer a wide range of benefits to drivers of all kinds.

That’s why, in this article, we’re going to look at all of the reasons why you should wear sunglasses while driving.

Let’s find out the reasons why.

Sunglasses Filter Out Harmful UV Rays

Let’s start with one of the most obvious reasons: wearing sunglasses filters out harmful UV rays.

You see, driving on a bright and sunny day has one significant drawback, especially in hot climates like in the one we have here in Malaysia: we are constantly exposed to intense and harmful UV rays that could hurt or damage our eyes.

If we were walking around, we’d have plenty of ways to protect our eyes from those sun rays. We could wear a hat, use an umbrella, or simply use our hand to cover our faces a little. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case when we’re driving a car.

For one, wearing a hat or covering our eyes while driving is quite risky. It reduces our ability to see the road ahead clearly. And sometimes, we can’t control the fact that we’re driving towards where the sunlight is coming at us the most.

Even though some of us have window tinting on our cars, that’s often not enough. That’s where sunglasses can be beneficial. A pair of sunglasses acts as an additional layer of ‘tinting’ right in front of our eyes, filtering out the UV rays and protecting our eyes while driving.

Prevent Glare

Besides UV rays, we sometimes experience glare when driving around in the daytime. Glare is simply when the light hits our eyes at such an angle that it’s uncomfortable for us to keep them open. As a result, we squint or blink more frequently, reducing our vision of the road ahead.

Even with just a decent pair of sunglasses, we’re able to keep our eyes fully open without experiencing too much glare. So, no matter how brightly the sun shines right at us, we can still drive safely while maintaining maximum visibility.

Prevents Dust From Entering Your Eyes

Whether you’re driving in a convertible or just driving with your windows rolled down, there is another threat to your vision: dust. Dust and any other debris that might fly towards your face and hit your eyes are hazardous.

Getting a speck of dust on your eye can be a very dangerous distraction while driving. You might react by closing your eyes entirely and rubbing them to try and sort the problem out. Unfortunately, that temporary loss of focus and vision could be enough to get you into an accident.

With a pair of sunglasses, the odds of that happening are significantly lower. Sure, dust and debris could still be distracting as it hits your sunglasses. But even if your vision is impaired, you could just take off your sunglasses and continue driving safely.

Stops Wind From Blowing Directly Into Your Eyes

Even without any dust and debris, having the wind constantly blows against your eyes can also increase your risks while driving. Remember: our eyes must stay moist, which is why we blink from time to time.

But suppose you were driving with the windows down and continually exposing your eyes to the wind. In that case, they’ll dry out pretty quickly and become irritated. Naturally, you’ll rub your eyes or blink a lot more, both of which affect your vision while driving.

Again, wearing sunglasses means putting up an extra in front of your eyes, which protects them against direct exposure to the wind. You’ll have no problems keeping your eyes open and focused on where you’re driving.

Gives You More Clarity In Rainy or Foggy Weather

At this point, it’s clear that wearing sunglasses while driving under the bright sun can help protect your vision. But did you know that wearing polarised sunglasses can also help you see better when you’re driving in the rain?

That’s right! Sunglasses also help you drive safely in Malaysia’s second most common weather condition: heavy rain.

There’s some science behind why that is. You see, polarised sunglasses are efficient at blocking horizontal elements of scattered light. That usually occurs when it’s raining or even when it’s foggy, like if you were driving at higher altitudes. A perfect example of this would be like if you were driving around Genting Highlands or similar locations.

Helps You Look Stylish While Driving

Last but not least, the right pair of sunglasses can help you look a lot cooler while driving. 

Even though there are plenty of other ways to have more style while you’re behind the wheel of a car, at least sunglasses come with the added benefit of helping you drive safer as well.

How To Choose Sunglasses For Driving

While a standard pair of sunglasses is good enough for driving, certain types are more beneficial. As mentioned before, polarised glasses are particularly helpful for driving. 

Besides that, look for sunglasses that block out UV rays, such as those rated ‘UV 400’.

Lens colours also matter. The best options are brown, green, amber, or grey-coloured lenses. These lens colours will help you see better by absorbing some of the light that passes through.

However, avoid blue and brown lenses at all costs. Blue glasses might reduce your ability to see clearly, while brown ones could end up making your vision look a little hazy.

More importantly, make sure that whatever glasses you choose fits your head perfectly. That will ensure that it blocks out sunlight coming from all directions without letting any pass through and hit your eyes.