As much as we rely on it, sunlight can be bothersome sometimes. Think of the glare right in your eyes as you cruise along on a highway. The playlist is perfect and your company is great, but you’re just not enjoying yourself thanks to the sun’s assault on your eyes.
When you think of how much time you spend behind the wheel, it’s almost a given that driving sunglasses should be in your glove box at all times. But choosing these sunglasses is not the same as choosing a pair for the beach. What makes the best sunglasses for driving cars at night or noon? Let’s take a look at what determines the best type of sunglasses for driving.
Reasons Your Current Driving Sunglasses Aren’t The Best
You might be thinking to yourself, “I have the best sunglasses for everything.” When in reality your go-to pair is not up-to-scratch for your time behind the wheel. Your shades might not make the cut as the best sunglasses for driving for some of the following reasons:
- They’re not polarized: Polarized glasses are the best for reducing glare, which is vital because glare can blind a driver for up to five seconds! It’s a big cause of road accidents.
- They’re the wrong tint: Some of the popular sunglass tints not only impair vision, but they also distort important colors such as red lights when driving.
- They’re too bulky: If your sunglasses don’t have thin temples, they are blocking your peripheral vision. That’s a large blind spot.
- They’re too dark: Most people choose darker shades for driving not knowing they are making a serious error. While the goal is to keep light out, sunglasses for driving should not be too dark, as this can impair your vision.
Features of the Best Sunglasses for Driving
The best driving sunglasses should have these features:
Durability
We probably take off and put on our driving sunglasses more regularly than every-day shades, so it’s important to have a pair that can withstand the wear and tear of being handled so frequently.
Comfort
Comfort should never be overlooked when it comes to eyeglasses. It might be a no-brainer, but people often forget to get a proper feel of their sunglasses before they buy them. In most cases, all that matters is that the pair looks good on their face. However, when you need to focus on driving, uncomfortable eyewear can cause distraction and make your drive more stressful than it needs to be.
UV Protection (Polarization)
Polarized sunglasses for driving reduce glare on the water, pavements, and other reflective surfaces by filtering light coming from different angles. They also make colors and objects appear clearer. Polarization is key for sunglasses, but it’s also an important feature in night driving glasses. Whatever the situation, glasses worn while driving should have an Anti-Reflective (AR) coating to reduce glare.
Tint
Good sunglasses for driving have gray, amber, and copper-tinted lenses. These maintain color integrity, and amber and copper tints even increase contrast. Stay away from the blues, light greens, pinks, or reds. While they might enhance your look, they do nothing for your driving and may even alter your ability to perceive colors on the road, like traffic lights.
Style Always Matters
As much as we get driving sunglasses or practical use, it’s not a good pair of sunglasses if it sacrifices on style. You’ll be going places, literally, with them on, so looking good and feeling good is a top priority.
As with our clothes, we all want to wear something that communicates our sense of style on our faces. Stylish sunglasses are an accessory that gives a little ode to creativity and novelty, which is the perfect way to express personality.
If you don’t think that sunglasses can have that much impact on your overall style, just think of all the high-profile race car drivers who are never spotted without some cool shades on. Or consider 1960s starlet and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn who is famed for being one of the most stylish wearers of sunglasses on the planet. If you’re looking for a crisp, clear view with all the right specifications for your car sunglasses, make sure to get the best sunglasses for driving.
Here are a few of our Felix Gray favorites
Roman
A timeless frame that ticks all the boxes when it comes to style and comfort. These playful yet classic sunglasses are perfect for driving because of their thin, light-weight, frame; grey tinting, and backside anti-reflective coating. They also come with thinner polarization and color enhancement, which is perfect for added visibility on the road.
Fermat
These unisex glasses are a modern twist to the classic Aviators, giving them an edgy look but still holding on to sophistication. Style aside, they are the perfect driving pair for many reasons: They are lightweight and perfectly tinted, and their lenses also come with thinner polarization, color enhancement, and backside Anti-Reflective coating.
Faraday
Named after the scientist who discovered how magnetism affects light, these frames are the ultimate choice when going for comfort. They are not bulky and have extended nose pads, specially created for those with low nose bridges. They also tick all our boxes for driving: Backside Anti-Reflective coating, polarization, color enhancement, and more.
Hopper
A classic style of frame with the added benefit of long arms and a sleek nose bridge for easy wearing. The Hopper sunglasses are unisex with four different colors to choose from. Their lenses are fitted with the best technology. You can’t go wrong with these.
Felix Gray takes all the work out of shopping for driving glasses with our stylish, high-quality sunglasses. All our glasses come with modern lens technology for happier eyes. Browse Felix Gray sunglasses to shop the entire collection.