The majority of American drivers wear prescription eyewear on the road, according to research by AAA, which used the Nov. 3 end of daylight saving time to encouraged drivers to have their eyes checked.

Research shows that pedestrian and cyclist deaths increase with the fall-back time change.

AAA said 62% of drivers wear prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses or sunglasses. Eighty percent of prescription lens wearers keep them on constantly when behind the wheel, and 94% of those required to for their driver licenses do so.

Of those who wear prescription lenses, AAA said 37% haven’t gotten their eyes checked in more than a year, a trend that’s more pronounced among drivers ages 18 to 54, just 53% of whom had had eye exams in the past year.

In addition to encouraging new eye exams, AAA advised drivers to ease into the fall-winter period of earlier evening darkness in the following ways:

• Slow speeds and increase following distance to at least four seconds behind the vehicle in front.

• Move your eyes to the right side of the road if an oncoming vehicle fails to dim its bright headlights, focusing on the edge line of the lane

• Focus on objects’ outlines in dim light rather than direct looks.

• Keep moving your eyes instead of focusing on the middle of the area your headlights illuminate so you can notice sudden lights that can signal oncoming vehicles.

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