Night driving

Even with 20/20 vision during the day, at night you lose colour recognition, depth perception and peripheral vision. Older drivers and drivers that suffer from shortsightedness have more trouble seeing at night. They need twice as much light to see as a 30-year-old.

All these factors contribute to the increase in the number of roads accidents at night. One reason for this is that you are fighting your internal body clock. It registers that it is nighttime and is preparing your body for sleep, which in turn affects your concentration and reduces your reaction time. The dangers of night driving can be reduced by taking a few simple precautions.

Use your lights

·         Lights and indicators are essential for safe night driving.

Keep all windows clean and ensure that your headlights point slightly downwards so that they don’t blind other drivers on the road. Correctly aligned headlights will light up the road properly. Get someone to test your lights on full beam and dip, also check that your brake lights are working.

·         Turn your lights on at dusk. As daylight fades, you will be more visible to other drivers on the road with your lights on. If you are driving in an urban area with streetlamps, put your headlights on dip so that you don’t blind oncoming traffic. The same applies to well-lit motorways on the outskirts of towns and cities.

·         If you find yourself being dazzled by another car’s headlights on full beam, slow down. If you can stop safely, pull over until your eyes have recovered.

·         Keep your distance at night. This is to prevent your headlights bouncing off the vehicle in front of you. Driving too close to the car in front can reduce your visibility and you could blind the other driver with your headlights when he/she checks their rear vision mirror.

Take it slowly

·         Driving fast might get you there quicker but not always in one piece.  Driving safely in the dark means slowing down. Things can appear differently at night than they do in the day so you need to keep your wits about you. It is more difficult to judge speed and distance at night and you are also prevented from seeing pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers pulling out onto the road. Motorcyclists and cyclists should wear reflective clothing at night but unfortunately, not all of them do. So you need to be extra alert.

·         Drive at a speed where you can stop safely within the distance that you can see in your headlights.

·         Be extra careful driving at pub closing times. Pedestrians that have had a few too many are not likely to pay careful attention when crossing the road. If you’re driving at night, avoid drinking any alcohol as you will need to focus all your concentration on the road.

·         Driving on unlit roads is another challenge when you drive at night. Your eyes will need time to adjust from driving on a well-lit road to an unlit one so slow down until you can see comfortably. Use your headlights on full beam if you are alone on the road. If other drivers are on the road in front of you or coming towards you, keep your lights on dip. Unlit roads are usually found in rural areas. There is more chance of you encountering wildlife on a rural road. And, as rural roads generally don’t have footpaths, you may encounter pedestrians on the road as you near a village. Reduce your speed and take extra care.

·         Don’t dazzle the driver in front. Keep your distance from the car in front of you so you don’t impair their vision.