It’s always during the first week after the time falls back an hour that I realize I really don’t like driving in the dark! It’s pitch black by 5:30 and I still have places to go. Many of you may feel the same way, and it’s not surprising.

As we grow older our eyes change: vision in daylight may be just fine, but our night vision becomes less acute. Our pupils shrink with age, so we become less sensitive to changes in contrast and less able to distinguish objects from their background. And most annoying, after seeing the glare from the bright lights of oncoming headlights, it takes us longer for our visual acuity to return to normal.

So, if I have to drive to the store after dark – because someone forgot to get the milk for breakfast – what should I know so I can drive safely? Tom Vanderbilt in his article “Why People Have Difficulty Driving at Night” on the AARP website offers some thoughts.

• Stick to the roads you know and are more confident driving. This year I’ve decided if there is an alternative familiar route, I’m going to avoid the narrow side streets.
• Be cautious when approaching unfamiliar Intersections or changes in traffic patterns.
• Don’t rush. Allow yourself extra travel time when driving at night; drive at a reduced speed to give more reaction time for unexpected obstacles; and plan for extra driving time if conditions are bad.
• Stay focused on driving and avoid distractions – which is good advice whenever you are diving but is often ignored. And don’t drive if you are stressed or tired.
• Always drive defensively. In my high school Driver’s Education class – when they had such classes in high school – I was taught to stay behind the car in front of you by one car length for every 10 mph – which nowadays means someone is always cutting in!
• Make sure all your windows and mirrors are clean. Dirty windows tend to fog up more often at night.
• Make sure your headlights are aligned properly. You don’t want to throw too much light toward oncoming traffic and less on the road ahead – if only everyone else would do this.
• Set the illumination levels of your dashboard lights and any in-car screens to low. Bright light inside makes it harder to see outside.
• Use your brights at night in almost all cases when there are no oncoming cars – although in the city there always seems to be too much traffic – because high beams give you the best chance of reacting fast enough to an unexpected hazard. But even on dark, rural roads without much traffic, some three-quarters of drivers typically use their low beams, causing drivers to overdrive their headlights.
• Take a driving course such as the AARP Smart Driver online class or an in-person class when available in the Gorge.
• See a physician regularly for eye exams to be sure your eyes are still fit for driving at night.

If you must drive after dark, consider these suggestions to make it safer for you and others driving down the streets and highways. You don’t want to be surprised and suddenly hear something go crash in the night.

Brain Tease: Anagrams are words formed by rearranging another word’s letters. Try to solve these anagrams of five celebrity names. Good luck!

Big Melons; Twisty Flora; Mice Tours; Nerdier Robot; Travels Tonelessly.

The next question for your “Soul Portrait”. “Do you have a favorite vacation spot or place you go to relax?”

The candidate who made a political comeback that seemed nearly impossible after he held his “last press conference” when he lost the California Governor’s race in 1962 was Richard Nixon. I received correct answers from Bruce Johnson, Doug Nelson, Judy Kiser, Donna Mollet, Dave Lutgens, Pat Evenson-Brady, Lana Tepfer, Eva Summers, Jess Birge, Rebecca Abrams, Mike McFarlane, and Ken Jernstedt who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Donna Mollet.

Hollywood isn’t without scandals and one of the most infamous occurred in the 1950s. For this week’s “Remember When” question what was the name of the singer and actor who was one of the most popular artists before his scandalous affair with Elizabeth Taylor while married to Debbie Reynolds  Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788, or send it with the 2001 film These Old Broads in which Elizabeth Taylor and Debbie Reynolds starred alongside Joan Collins and Shirley MacLaine.

Well, it’s been another week trying to run when I can’t hide. Until we meet again, when it’s dark, keep your light shining.

“Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation”. Edward R. Murrow

Answers:  oɹᴉN ǝp ʇɹǝqoɹ ;ǝsᴉnɹƆ ɯo┴ ;ʇɟᴉʍS ɹolʎɐ┴ ;uosqᴉפ lǝW