Ditch the glasses while driving

Americans need disposable eclipse glasses that block out almost all light to safely view the total solar eclipse Monday, but experts and officials want to make sure people don’t wear them while driving.

If you want to look at the sky before and after totality – or look at the eclipse at all if you’re not in the path of totality – you need to wear eclipse glasses to protect your vision. Because an eclipse partially darkens the sun, your instinct to squint is impaired and people have reported permanent eye damage from looking at eclipses.

Eclipse glasses are far darker than regular sunglasses, and they block the sun’s intense infrared and ultraviolet lights from harming human eyes.

“Anyone operating a vehicle should not be attempting to look up at the sky during the eclipse – their eyes should be on the road,” said Aixa Diaz, a spokeswoman from AAA. “Eclipse glasses are for eclipse viewing, not driving. They shouldn’t be treated like normal sunglasses.”

The Missouri and Texas departments of transportation are also advising drivers to not wear eclipse glasses during the natural phenomenon and to focus on the road.

“Do not wear eclipse glasses while driving,” reads a list of safety tips from the Texas department. Thousands people are expected to drive to Texas cities towns along the path of totality, including Dallas, ahead of Monday’s eclipse.

Several state transportation departments released similar warnings ahead of the 2017 total solar eclipse. Wyoming’s, for example, warned people traveling to the state about how they wouldn’t be able to see the road with solar eclipse glasses on.

“Eclipse glasses should be used when viewing the solar eclipse in a safe location,” the warning reads. “When the glasses are worn, a person shouldn’t be able to see anything except the solar eclipse, which is why it is unsafe for a person to wear them when driving.”

So, what should drivers do during the total eclipse?

It’s safe to drive during an eclipse as long as you don’t look up at the sky. AAA is telling drivers to be focused on the road if they are operating a car during the total solar eclipse.

The automobile insurance company is advising Americans who want to safely view the total eclipse to “find a safe place to park (not on the side of a road or highway) away from other traffic and then wear your eclipse glasses,” Diaz said.