One often overlooked driving hazard is glare, which can significantly reduce visibility and reaction times.

Glare while driving primarily stems from sunlight, the headlights of other vehicles, and reflected light from wet or shiny surfaces. This intense light can momentarily blind drivers, making it harder to spot other cars, pedestrians, or obstacles. The effects of glare are most intense when the sun is low in the sky during early morning or late afternoon.

Fortunately, you can reduce glare’s impact on your driving with a few practical tips.

1. Know your visors

We all know flipping a sun visor down can offer much-needed relief from sun glare. Most of us also know these little conveniences can be unclipped at the centre and pivoted to shade the front-side window as well.

Today, though, visors can have other sun-stopping tricks. They might have slide-out extenders that allow them to cover more of the side window or extend out along their shaft to achieve a similar result. Check your owner's manual, or have a play around (gently), to ensure you are employing every glare-reducing trick available.

Plenty of cars today also have side or rear sun blinds, which – if they’re powered – can be instantly employed from the driver’s seat to reduce blinding glare on the spot.

2. Know your mirrors

You probably know your car’s rearview mirror has a trick to dim the headlight glare of following cars – the ‘night’ position.

Traditionally, this function – which allows the mirror’s reflection to emanate from either the metal backing plate (brighter) or glass itself (dimmer) – has been mechanically activated/deactivated by pulling/pushing on a lever at the bottom of the mirror.

Nowadays, though, many cars do it electronically via a button or fully automatically, and maybe even have a night function for the side mirrors as well. All the more reason, then, to check your owner’s manual and make sure you’re utilising every feature available.

3. Keep your windows clean

Dirty, hazy glass makes glare much worse, so you should clean all of your car’s windows regularly – inside and out. Either a retail window cleaner or a solution of white vinegar and water will do.

There’s not much point cleaning your windscreen either; if your wipers are worn and your washer bottle is empty, it’s just going to leave glare-inducing streaks when you use them again. Change the former regularly (every year is a common recommendation) and use a windscreen-wash solution to help your wipers cut through the gunk rather than just smear it around.

4. Fix any chips or cracks in your windscreen

Chips or cracks in a windscreen can catch and refract the glare in all directions, turning it from a mere annoyance into a potentially blinding kaleidoscope. This is why a damaged windscreen is typically enough to make a car unroadworthy. If your windscreen is damaged, get it fixed as soon as possible.

5. Purchase a good pair of sunglasses

Any half-decent pair of sunglasses, preferably with UV protection, will help reduce the impact of glare - but if you want to attack the problem, look for ones that are polarised. These have a filter that reduces glare and increases clarity and contrast in super-bright conditions, making life a lot easier for your eyes when driving.

6. Invest in a window tint or anti-glare film

Essentially a pair of sunglasses for your car, the right tint can reduce glare while making the cabin cooler and more comfortable. Not all tints reduce glare, however, so be sure to do your research. Anti-glare windscreen films are also available to attack the issue head-on.

Now you’re sorted, there are two things you can do to make life easier for other drivers in high-glare conditions: notably, turning on your headlights and slowing down. The former will help others see you when it’s hard to see, while the latter will give you more of a margin to avoid trouble if you or another driver does miss something and it all goes wrong.