Driving in the rain is notoriously dangerous. Each year, about 21% of traffic accidents in the United States can be attributed in whole or in part to the weather, with many of the problems stemming from wet roads.
Rain and the resulting wet road surface can cause a host of problems for drivers. For example, rain can obscure debris or road conditions, potentially leading to collisions or accidents. Rain can also block visibility through the windshield or blur headlights, making it harder to see long distances.
Stories about driving in bad weather have sparked online discussions in the past. For example, one user explained how drivers can use baking soda to make their windshields water-repellent. Another user explained why you should be careful when driving through a drive-thru in the rain.
Now another internet user has got TikTok talking after she revealed her trick for better visibility in the rain.
Are sunglasses essential when driving in the rain?
In a post on her TikTok page, user Maddie Gearhart (@madisongearhartt) reveals some advice she received about driving in the rain.
Captioning the image, which currently has over 375,000 views, Gearhart wrote: “Whoever told me to wear sunglasses when riding in the rain so I could see the lines is a genius and may have saved my life.”
According to How Stuff Works, there is some truth to the idea that wearing sunglasses in the rain can improve your visibility. However, they must be polarized to be truly useful.
“Optometrists say that only sunglasses with polarized lenses offer any benefit because they work in a very specific way,” writes author Cherise Threewitt.
“Polarized lenses help prevent light from scattering when it bounces off a reflective surface, like the glare you see when rain bounces off the road or hits another car’s headlights,” Threewitt continues. “Sunglasses with polarized lenses reduce that effect, making it easier to see what’s going on without being distracted or blinded by unpredictable glare.”
In the comments, many users indicated how effective this advice is.
“I did this during a snowstorm at night and it literally saved my life,” one user wrote.
“Oh my god yes my girlfriends mom drove us through NM during monsoon season in 2012 and we were so scared but she kept them with us the whole ride and we made it out safe so I knew this trick from back in the day,” added another.
“Yeah girl, my boyfriend thought I was crazy for blocking my vision even more than it already was and I was like, no, these are helping me,” said a third. “He had to put them on to confirm I was right.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Gearhart via direct message on Instagram.
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