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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Most Dangerous Time to Drive<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">As we “Fall Back” to Shorter Days, Take Extra Care on the
Road<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><span> </span>On,
Monday 4 November 2019, as I was on my way home from the EOSC Homecoming Chili
Cook-Off I nearly hit a whitetail buck that was crossing highway 270 near the
Scrap Corps as I was entering into Krebs.<span>
</span>It is fall and whitetail deer are beginning the “rut” season.<span> </span>As most of us are aware, this is peak breeding
season for whitetail deer.<span> </span>Bucks are on
the move.<span> </span>When they are on the trail of
a suitable doe nothing will distract them not even two tons of vehicle
barreling down on them.<span> </span>Be very cautious
when traveling in SE Oklahoma during this time of year.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><span> </span>Shortly
after dodging this buck, just as I was approaching the Sonic Drive-In in Krebs,
as the lights of the restaurant were shining in the darkness I noticed slight
movement between me and the restaurant.<span>
</span>It was two to three black cows that had gotten out of their pasture and
wandered out onto highway 270.<span> </span>If I was
not paying attention and did not notice the slight movement between me and the
lights I could have easily crashed into them. <span> </span>The reason I am telling you this is because shorter
days, fatigue, compromised night vision, rush hour and impaired drivers are
some of the risks we face when driving at night. These risks become especially
pronounced moving into the weekend, with fatal crashes peaking on Saturday
nights, according to NSC analysis of NHTSA data. <span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><span> </span>At the
end of Daylight Saving Time many people will find themselves spending more time
driving in the dark. Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision
can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming
vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif""><span> </span>Even
with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet
for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road,
especially when driving at higher speeds.<span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">What should you do to combat darkness? <span></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Make
sure you have your headlights aimed correctly, and make sure they're
clean<span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Dim
your dashboard<span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Look
away from oncoming lights<span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">If you
wear glasses, make sure they're anti-reflective<span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Clean
the windshield to eliminate streaks<span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;line-height:115%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Slow
down to compensate for limited visibility and reduced stopping time<span></span></li></ul>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:small"></span>Alton L. Jones <br></div><div dir="ltr">Campus Police Chief<br><div style="font-size:small"><div dir="ltr">Eastern Oklahoma State College<br>Phone: 918-465-1739<br><img alt=""><img src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1mtara3ZmDAQsCnzNiYPxlS64n9Aoo55w&revid=0B3X3HfbS5dOBUWdKNzd4aGMvQnR3ODBmQ1ZVWUxSS3pVY2trPQ"><img alt=""></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>