How To Choose The Best Sunglasses For Driving

So, How Do We Choose The Best Sunglasses For Driving? 

Purchasing a pair of driving sunglasses is an essential investment for any driver, particularly to assist in bright and sunny conditions. But, with so many types of sunglasses on the market, it can be challenging to select the best ones for driving. Let's explore some key factors to consider before choosing the perfect pair of frames to ensure a safer and more comfortable driving experience...

Why Should We Wear Sunglasses When Driving?

Firstly, we should address why it is important to wear sunglasses when driving. 

They protect your eyes against UV radiation, and if you choose the right pair, they can improve the clarity of your surroundings. This can help to prevent accidents caused by poor visibility. If you have ever found yourself squinting to protect your eyes on a bright day, wearing sunglasses will help reduce the amount of light getting to your eyes. This is hugely beneficial when driving, as squinting limits your sight and can cause headaches. 

Why Should We Invest In The Best Sunglasses For Driving And Avoid Cheap Ones?

It's important to invest in sunglasses for driving to ensure the appropriate amount of UV protection. Whether your sunglasses are worn when driving, or not, sufficient UV protection is paramount. When purchasing sunglasses, you should ensure that they are UV-protected up to 400 nanometers. At Pretavoir, all of our sunglasses are UVA and UVB protected. 

Driving Sunglasses And The Law

Before we delve into the different factors to consider before purchasing driving sunglasses, the most important thing to know is the law behind the sunglasses that you wear while driving. 

Sunglass tints are categorised. Categories 0 (transparent or very light), 1 (light tint), 2 (medium tint) and 3 (dark tint) are all suitable for daytime driving. The darkest tint, category 4, by law, cannot be worn when driving as the tint is too dense. There must be a sufficient amount of light getting to your eyes to allow for good visibility, and category 4 lenses do not allow enough light.

Polarised Lenses - The Best Sunglasses For Driving

Wearing polarised sunglasses helps to reduce glare, and it can also prevent distractions caused by bright reflections. When driving, glare can be caused by many things, including the sun (particularly when low), snow, water on the road, other vehicles around and even your car bonnet. If the glare is strong, then it can potentially be life-threatening. As your vision becomes impaired, so does your view of the road, other vehicles and maybe even pedestrians. Polarised lenses block dangerous glare, so they are the number 1 feature to consider when investing in good sunglasses for driving. 

When light enters your eye, the refractive power of your cornea bends the light in a way that scatters it through the eye. Glare is caused when the sunlight hits a flat surface, and the light beams form in a uniform, horizontal direction and don’t scatter as they otherwise would. To block the glare polarised lenses stop the horizontal light from entering and only allow vertical light to pass through.

Frame Style

Something that you have not considered to be important when selecting driving sunglasses- is frame style and size. You want to ensure your chosen frames do not interfere with your peripheral vision. For example, oversized sunglasses, thicker frames or broad temples would be styles to avoid. Don't worry, as this does not mean you should compromise on style when selecting your driving sunglasses. Classic aviators, for example, are a great option for style and functionality.

Tint Colour

There are some lens colours to avoid when wearing sunglasses for driving. 

Pink, blue and green lenses affect how you see red light, so needless to say, they should be avoided. Wearing either of these lens colours would cause difficulty in seeing if the car in front is braking which could result in an accident. Red traffic lights would also be harder to see when lit. 

For driving lenses, please consider colours which will not impede your ability to see certain colours. 

Grey sunglass lenses provide true colour perception and would be the ideal choice of lens colour for your driving sunglasses. They do not distort the colour of traffic lights, lights from other vehicles, or road signs. For these reasons, grey lenses are the number 1 choice for driving, and even better, grey polarised lenses.

Nighttime Driving

You may be tempted to throw on your sunglasses when driving at night to stop the glare from oncoming headlights. However, the Highway Code indicates that sunglasses should not be worn when driving at night.

There are other types of lenses that you can wear to assist with nighttime driving. At Pretavoir, we are proud to offer Zeiss DriveSafe lenses. These highly advanced lenses will protect your eyes from reflections from oncoming headlights and allow you to shift your focus between the road, GPS, dashboard, mirror and the street with ease. Not only are these lenses great for wearing at nighttime, but they can also be worn during the day and accommodate the size of your pupil depending on the amount of light- something that no other lens can do. If wearing these lenses during the day, you can also take comfort in knowing that they are fully UV protected. Overall, the Zeiss DriveSafe lenses hugely reduce stress on the eyes.