Tips for Driving In the Sun in Tampa

Florida is known as The Sunshine State because it gets a lot of sun, which is one of the main reasons more tourists and new residents move here every year. And while Florida does certainly see clouds and rain, the fact remains that most days see at least some sunshine in all parts of the state. For this reason and the accidents that may follow, Florida drivers need to follow certain common-sense tips on how to safely drive into the sun, particularly at times of sunrise and sunset when the sun is directly in the line of a driver’s vision.

The best defense a driver can give themselves is to wear a high-quality pair of sunglasses while driving. It is wise to leave a pair in the car at all times. In Florida, the sun can strike at any time of the day and no one wants to be on the road when they have left their sunglasses at home.

The second obvious tip is to use your car’s visors. These are invaluable tools and can be unhooked on one end and swung around to the side to block the sun coming in through the driver’s side window. These are perfectly safe and designed not to impede on the driver’s field of vision so drivers should use them whenever necessary.

A less commonly used way to block the sun’s rays is to have the windows tinted. In Florida, all windows of the car can legally be tinted but there are regulations. Tinting on the back windows, including the sides and rear window, need to allow at least 15% of light in. The front side windows need to allow 28% of light in.

The windshield is the window that lets in the most light and is the area most important to a driver’s vision. This can also be tinted, but only with non-reflective tint and only to the manufacturer’s AS-1 line. This is a line that usually appears in the corner of the windshield but if it is not shown, the general rule of thumb is five inches from the top of the windshield. No other part of the windshield can be tinted.

In Florida, it is almost impossible to avoid driving into the sun. But that does not mean that it is impossible to drive safely in it. Drivers need to arm themselves, and their cars, with the best possible safety measures for driving into the sun in order to keep those, and other drivers on the road, as safe as possible at all times. In order to learn more tips for driving in the sun in Tampa, consult one of the skilled car accident lawyers at Slater | Grant who can answer your questions.