Driving in low sun: manage glare without guessing

If low sun dazzles you, slow down and stop if necessary rather than continuing without a usable view. That is the instruction in Highway Code rule 237. Sunglasses and a visor can help, but they cannot turn an obscured road into a safe one.

This matters on bright spring mornings as well as other journeys where the sun is low in your view. A dry road and a clear sky do not automatically mean easy driving conditions. Prepare the car and your eyewear, then judge the road from what you can actually see.

Check the view before the first turn

Before setting off, consider the direction of your initial movement and where the sunlight falls. You may be parked in shade but need to turn towards a bright opening. That transition is worth discussing with your instructor before the car moves.

Try a simple question from the driving seat: can you identify the road detail you will need for the first manoeuvre? Recognising the general outline of the street is not the same as seeing a pedestrian, a signal or the space beside another vehicle.

Do not use a familiar route to fill in details you cannot see. Memory can tell you where a crossing normally is, but not whether someone is using it now. Visibility is current information; familiarity is only background.

The Cambridge learning guide discusses reading restrictions and observing people near busway crossings and major destinations. That observation task remains important in bright conditions: if glare hides a sign or approach, do not substitute your memory of the route for the view you need now.

Clean the glass rather than looking around the dirt

National Highways' seasonal preparation guidance recommends clean windscreens and lights and carrying sunglasses for low sun. Include the inside of the windscreen in your preparation, not just the area swept by the wipers.

Check the result from your normal driving position. Smears that are unobtrusive while parked can be distracting when light shines through them. If you have cleaned the glass, remove any cleaning materials from the dashboard and make sure you have not left residue that makes the view worse.

The Highway Code's vehicle-maintenance annex says windows must be kept clean and free from obstructions to vision. Treat screenwash, wipers and clear glass as part of road preparation, not cosmetic car care.

If a chip, crack or persistent smear is affecting what you can see, obtain appropriate advice before relying on the vehicle. Do not assume that changing sunglasses will solve a problem with the glass itself.

Set the visor without blocking the road

Use the car's sun visor as intended and learn how it adjusts before driving. The aim is to reduce incoming glare while preserving the view of the road, signs and signals. Lowering it until it hides important information is not a successful adjustment.

A useful stationary exercise is to set your normal seat position, adjust the visor and then check what it obscures. Our driving-seat setup guide can help establish the position first. Do not continually shift your body into an awkward posture to look around a badly positioned visor.

If the sun moves to a different angle as the route changes, recognise that your earlier adjustment may no longer help. Avoid lengthy fiddling while moving. Choose a safe opportunity to make any adjustment that needs more attention than you can spare from driving.

Choose sunglasses suitable for driving

National Highways warns against category 4 sunglasses because their very dark lenses are unsuitable for driving. More darkness is not automatically better protection for the driving task.

The Association of Optometrists advises asking a dispensing optician about suitable driving eyewear. It notes that variable-tint lenses may not darken as effectively behind a windscreen and that some tinted lenses are unsuitable at night.

Keep the pair you intend to use accessible before leaving. Searching in a bag or glove compartment after glare appears adds a second problem to the first. If you wear prescription correction for driving, check that your chosen arrangement still gives you the correction you need; GOV.UK eyesight rules require it whenever necessary to meet the standard.

If glare seems unusually severe or your vision has changed, seek professional eye-care advice. This article cannot determine whether the cause is lighting, eyewear, the vehicle or an eyesight problem.

Slow for the information you are missing

Imagine approaching a junction where the road beyond the stop line is washed out by sunlight. Knowing the traffic-light sequence is not enough if you cannot confidently identify the signal for your lane or the space beyond it.

The safe response is to manage the approach so you are not forced into a last-second decision. Do not follow the car ahead simply because it moves. Its driver may have a different viewing angle, and its movement does not confirm what is safe for you.

The same principle applies when turning from a shaded street into bright light. Allow for the possibility that the new view will be more difficult. If a hazard cannot be assessed, do not convert uncertainty into an assumption that the road is clear.

Remember that other people may be struggling too

When the sun is behind you, your own forward view may feel comfortable. Another road user facing the opposite direction may be dealing with a very different view. Use that possibility to encourage patient observation, not to predict that someone will definitely make a mistake.

At a crossing or junction, do not assume that being in the expected position guarantees you have been seen. Watch the actual response of other road users and keep room to react. Clear positioning and a calm approach are more useful than trying to prove that another person should have noticed you.

Be willing to change the plan

Northern Ireland's adverse-weather guidance also advises slowing and stopping if necessary when dazzled by sunlight. Any necessary stop still needs to be managed safely for the road you are on; do not treat this as an invitation to park in a live traffic lane for convenience.

For an optional practice journey, consider whether a different time or route would provide a more suitable learning environment. If you are already on the road, concentrate on safely handling the current situation rather than trying to recover the planned arrival time.

Discuss glare management as part of your driving lessons, or contact Learn and Drive with the situation you find difficult. The goal is not to tolerate the brightest possible conditions. It is to prepare well, recognise when the view is inadequate and act before a missing detail becomes a hazard.