What to Pay Attention to When Driving Through a Tunnel
3 Answers
When driving through a tunnel, pay attention to the following: 1. Before entering the tunnel, slow down as required by regulations and turn on the headlights, width markers, and taillights; 2. Choose the appropriate lane before entering the tunnel, maintain sufficient distance from other vehicles, and avoid changing lanes arbitrarily; 3. Do not use high beams, as they can easily cause danger; 4. Do not park randomly inside the tunnel. In case of an emergency, the driver must try to park the vehicle in a designated parking area, turn on the hazard warning lights, and call for help. There are many types of tunnels, categorized by purpose into railway tunnels, dual-purpose railway and highway tunnels, and subway tunnels; categorized by cross-sectional shape into circular tunnels, arch tunnels, oval tunnels, and rectangular tunnels.
Having driven for many years, I pay special attention to safety details when passing through tunnels: always turn on the headlights in advance to avoid fines or accidents, as the lighting inside tunnels is dim and visibility is poor. Maintain a distance of at least 50 meters from the vehicle in front—tunnels are narrow and crowded, making sudden braking prone to rear-end collisions. Obey the speed limit signs and avoid speeding, especially during entry and exit when the environment changes abruptly—your eyes need a few seconds to adjust, during which time you should stay highly focused, avoiding phone use or adjusting music. For ventilation, set the air conditioning to recirculate to prevent smoke pollution inside the car—health is more important. I’ve seen people change lanes to overtake, only to get stuck in the middle with no way out, so remember it’s best not to overtake in tunnels. Once these small habits are formed, driving becomes much more reassuring.
Thinking back to my novice days, my first time driving through a tunnel was pure chaos: I forgot to turn on the lights, everything went pitch black, and I nearly scraped another car. Now I've learned to activate the headlights 5 seconds before entering, and with automatic brightness adjustment, there's no dizziness. Regarding following distance, I used to tailgate until my dad scolded me—now I consciously maintain a two-car gap. The sudden light change was especially troublesome in summer when wearing sunglasses; entering a tunnel meant instant blindness until I took them off. Setting the AC to recirculate is a must, otherwise the tunnel's weird odors become unbearable. My personal lesson: don't rush to accelerate, stay relaxed and take it slow—that drastically reduces mistakes.
