Guys, it’s really dark out there on the way home.
Every November I am shocked at just how early it gets dark in the winter. Here in Vancouver it is pretty dark by 5pm and getting dark by 4:30pm. And the darker it is, the harder it is to drive.
So first, a safety moment:
If you are driving- slow down and watch for pedestrians and cyclists– they are mighty hard to spot this time of year, especially when we are all still getting used to just how dark it is on our drive home.
If you are a pedestrian or cyclist, please, for the love, wear something bright and shiny! All black is very very hard to spot on a dark residential road.
Now that I got that out of my system I am going to continue to rant a bit about dark driving. Why? Because it is NaBloPoMo and I have to write a post. And, well, I have been thinking about this.
Can I just say that I hate those uber bright headlights all the fancy new cars have. They may help the driver to see, but it blinds everyone else on the road! I have no idea why this hasn’t been talked about in the media as a big safety issue. I could see the benefit on a dark country road, but on city roads it seems more hindrance then a help. Because it is even harder for me to spot that dressed in black pedestrian crossing the road when I have been just blinded by the SUV’s super duper bright lights!It seems one of those safety features which is designed to keep the user safe, because who wouldn’t want to see better when driving, but didn’t seem to take into account the safety of everyone else on the road.
Who came up with those things anyway? Has anyone looked into the safety impact of them? Because they just seem completely insane. Is this just me and my sensitive eyes? Is there something I am missing.
Also related to the dark dark winter. I need one of those light machine things. I have no idea if they work or not, but Vancouver is dark and dreary in the Winter. Calgary was cold, but at least there was sunshine. I am very quickly going to be in desperate need of vitamin D and whatever else the sun provides that makes us feel good. I also suspect my coffee intake is going to go up.
So local Vancouverites- any other tips for getting through the darkness of the winter and the grumpyness it causes?
Now if you will excuse me, I am going to curl up on the couch and do nothing. As that seems the only appropriate thing to do on a dark rainy night.
Yes, I know what you mean. Those superbright lights make me Very Irritated as well.
And! I was already writing a ‘have a successful november’ post, so I’ll finish it up with some photos. The keys are: light, good food, fresh air, minimal alcohol and not fearing the darkness. At least for me.
Going to read your “surviving November” post- though I am skeptical about the minimal alcohol part.