Many hate night driving.

A good number of those motorists aren't senior citizens. Many are middle-aged, and some are young drivers just starting out. All intensely dislike the limited visibility and oncoming headlight glare.

Night driving is dangerous. Some 57 percent of traffic fatalities occur at night, even though the number of miles driven at night is much lower than during the day.

There are ways for increasing the safety of night driving:

* First, look as far ahead as you can see. If you see an object that might present a hazard, assume it will be a hazard and lower car speed until you are absolutely sure it is not one.

* Keep the car's windshield clean. A windshield dirty outside or inside (particularly true with smokers) causes glare, decreasing visibility.

* Windshield wipers that leave streaks or chatter across the windshield also decrease visibility and should be replaced.

* Headlights that are clean and properly alingned also are very important for identifying potential hazards.

* Some fast foreign cars have headlight washers and wipers for a good reason. In Europe, where high-speed highway travel is common, fast cars driven quickly soon can get motorists into trouble if headlights are not extremely clean for the best possible visibility.

* Service station attendants who cleaned off windshields and headlights seem to be almost a thing of the past. And relatively few motorists at self-serve gas stations clean headlights, as attendants once did at full-serve stations.

* Avoid over-driving headlights. When an object becomes illuminated by them, you should be driving slowly enough to stop your car safely without hitting it.

* Make sure other drivers can see you. Chances are it's been a long time since you've cleaned your car's headlights. But when was the last time you cleaned its taillights?

* Keep taillights, turn signals and brake lights clean and in good working condition. Some motorists seem to have trouble seeing other cars during the day, let alone at night.

* It only takes a minute to walk around a car to check these systems. Have someone sit in the car to operate headlights, brakes and turn signals - just as you would if checking out a used car.

* Use high beams, but don't forget to dim them for oncoming traffic or autos ahead of you.

* Motorists in approaching cars can be so upset and disoriented by high beams hitting them square in the face that it is a possibility they may end up on your side of the road, causing a head-on collision.

* Don't drive while tired. Fatigue cuts down on responsiveness needed for safe night driving. If you must drive while tired, pull off the road where it is safe to do so and rest several times during your trip.

* Check the owner's manual and make sure you know where controls are located. I've been testing two to three new cars a week for years, so it's easy for me to adapt to differently positioned instruments and controls. That's not the case with most, who find driving an unfamiliar car can get them in trouble.