How to choose sunglasses for driving?

When driving, many different factors can affect your ability to see clearly. (Yes, because it’s not always your fault if you hit a curb, sometimes the sun is the one blinding you! ?) Even if you mainly wear sunglasses behind the wheel to look stylish, we can assure you that they are actually important for your safety and that choosing the right pair really matters!

Can sunglasses make driving safer?

Reducing the risk of accidents while driving

Ah, the sun… most of the time we love it, but we’ve all hated it at some point while driving! You know that moment when you’re driving straight into it and even with your sun visor down, you’re squinting because you’re completely dazzled. It reduces your visibility and can make driving dangerous. Sunglasses therefore become a more than essential accessory for your safety!

What about driving at night? Do you need protection?

At night, your vision is much less precise and other cars’ headlights can glare you (between us, it’s especially those who forget to turn off their high beams that we dislike!). Some people can also experience real visual issues at night, such as night myopia. Unfortunately, these are some of the reasons why driving at night is much more dangerous than during the day. To avoid these risks, it is important to use glasses adapted to low-visibility conditions when driving.

Choosing the right lenses for driving

Choosing the right lens category

To protect yourself and improve your driving comfort, we recommend paying close attention to the category of lenses you choose. The lens category indicates the level of protection provided by your sunglasses.

For driving, we recommend choosing Category 3 sunglasses. They reduce glare by 80 to 89%, which is very useful, right? By law, all sunglasses, whatever their category, must provide 100% protection against UVA and UVB rays.

You may also find Category 4 sunglasses, which are often used by mountaineers in high-altitude environments. Be careful though: they are not allowed for driving, as they reduce visibility too much, even in mountain conditions.

Choose a more suitable lens treatment

The sun can already make driving uncomfortable, but what about the sun and rain combo? Yes, the reflection of sunlight on puddles can be very distracting! Don’t worry, there is a solution for that too!

You can choose polarized lenses, which help reduce or even eliminate glare and reflections from the sun (because constantly squinting is not exactly comfortable). They are also very useful for reducing reflections from other vehicles, especially windshields and bodywork.

This type of lens also helps improve contrast, giving you better visibility on the road.

Photochromic lenses also feature an interesting technology. Their tint changes depending on the level of light. This provides extra comfort by adapting to changing weather conditions (and saves you from constantly taking your glasses on and off).

Do lens colours also play a role?

Grey, green, yellow or brown? There are many different lens colours and, beyond style, they can have an impact on your driving experience.

Grey and brown lenses are the most recommended for driving, as they provide better visibility.

Green lenses are less recommended because they can distort natural colours.

Yellow lenses are recommended in low-light conditions and are also specifically designed for night driving.

What about your eyesight?

If you’re a daily glasses wearer and have a visual impairment, remember that wearing your corrective lenses while driving is mandatory! Not wearing the glasses or contact lenses required on your driving licence can result in:

- Immediate vehicle immobilisation

- A loss of 3 points, a €135 fine

- And in some cases, a driving licence suspension of up to 3 years and the obligation to attend a road safety awareness course at your own expense.

You probably don’t want it to come to that, right? So don’t forget your glasses!