The Pros and Cons of Driving A Car With A Sunroof Or Convertible Top
Driving a converible (rag-top) or a car with a sunroof / moonroof has its perks. On those beautiful sunny summer days one can slide the sun roof back or drop the top and feel the sun and breeze as one drives down the highway. There is no doubt that it is a great feeling.
For those low vision drivers with albinism or light sensitivity, driving a vehicle with the sun roof open or a convertible with the top down can make it difficult to see the road ahead or guages on the dash. Driving in a fully enclosed car is like wearing a baseball cap with a nice wide brim, which helps to keep direct sunlight or glare at bay. When one opens the sunroof or puts the top down you are effectively taking the glare protection of a brimmed hat away and creating a lot more reflections from the dashboard-especially if it is a light color. Glare or strong sunlight coming from an open sunroof makes looking ahead or at the dashboard very difficult and may present a safety hazord so be careful when using one.
If you really must drive with an open top or sunroof then consider the following:
1) You may want to try wearing a baseball cap to help shield you from some of that extra glare, but you'll have to deal with the reflections and glare from the dashboard surfaces. Dashboards with light colors or those treated with Armor-All reflect even more glare back at the driver's eyes so be extra careful.
2) Strongly consider a high quality pair of polarized wrap-around sunglasses with real glass lenses such as those made by Revo, Serengeti Drivers... They are not cheap, but outperform regular sunglasses when it comes to suppressing glare. One word of caution: you will have to be careful that you can still read certain types of LCD screens on your dash such as your navigation unit as they can be cancelled out by polarized lenses.
3) Drive with an open sunroof only when the sun is way off to one side so it is not directly overhead such as around noon as the glare and harsh light can be pretty intense.
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Disclaimer
Please understand that not every person with low vision is able to drive. This is a very serious matter that needs to be discussed with those close to you and your low vision doctor. Not only must you have vision good enough for doctors to correct, but you must also be willing to accept the challenge and go through what can be a long and arduous process that can last a year or more. This site is NOT a medical or an authoritative driving site nor affiliated with any and information contained in it does not override professional advice. Every person has different needs and capabilities so use this site merely as a stepping stone and discuss everything with your doctor, DMV official, auto mechanic... first! See the many topics below and feel free to add your driving comments and share your experience. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this site please pass it on to them.