According to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, driving at night is roughly twice as dangerous as driving during the day.  Since almost all our Virginia Ford dealership customers drive after the sun goes down during a typical week, I wanted to give a refresher on ways you can stay safe driving after the sun goes down.

Slow Down – People have a harder time judging distances at night since it is more difficult to see in the dark.  When you slow down it can help reduce your chances of having an accident.  Increasing the distance between you and the other cars on the road further reduces your chances of having a crash.

Stay Alert – It’s easy to get drowsy when you’re driving your Norfolk Ford, so ensure that you take breaks if you are driving long distances.  Stopping every couple hours to stretch your legs and use the bathroom is a good way to make sure that you stay fresh, awake, and alert when you’re driving all day.

Use Headlights Properly – Fords come equipped with high beams for a reason, but it’s important that Norfolk Ford drivers only use your brights when necessary.  When there is a vehicle in front of you, your brights make it difficult for them to see.  Making sure that the lights on your vehicle are aligned properly will also help you see the road more clearly.  If you are blinded by oncoming headlights, shift your eyes momentarily to the right and use the white lines of the road to navigate.

As I’ve written about before, Cavalier Ford takes the safety of our customers and the vehicles we sell very seriously.  Ford works hard to ensure they sell only safe, reliable new and used vehicles, and the Cavalier Ford dealer staff is available to help you select the right one.  To help you achieve that goal, we’ve put together a list of important safety criteria to consider when you are deciding which vehicle to buy from our Virginia Ford dealership.

High Crash Test Scores: This will help you determine how safe the Ford is overall, and can be a great tool when trying to compare Fords to other makes or any used vehicles you may be looking at.  The website safercar.gov has a comprehensive list of vehicles and their crash test scores.

Side and Curtain Airbags: These types of airbags help protect you in the case of a side-impacting collision.  They are similar to regular, front airbags, but are specifically designed to protect passengers from a side impact.

Antilock Braking System (ABS): Why are antilock brakes so important to the safety of your vehicle?  ABS prevents your wheels from locking up when you have to slam on the brakes, allowing you to stop more quickly on slick roads and maintain control of your Ford if you have to brake heavily while driving around Virginia Beach.

There are many safety features that Ford offers their Norfolk Ford dealership customers, so visit our Cavalier Ford website for more information.  We believe that the more informed you are about all aspects of your vehicle purchase, especially something as important as safety, the better off you are–give us a call at 757-488-8311 for more information.