Driving At Night

Driving at Night 

The first time driving in reduced light can be daunting, however getting in some practice with your instructor while you are learning how to drive, can diminish the fear of driving at night alone.

Tips for safe night driving

The first thing you need to make sure if you intend to drive at night,

1, Make sure your windows are clean, this can distort light.

2, Check that your lights are clean, so they are effective in lighting up the road, don’t forget the rear so that other road users can see you.

3, Don’t wear glasses that have a tint in as they can seriously reduce the light.(believe it or not this is something I see on the roads a lot)

4, Give your eyes time to adjust when you have come out of a bright area, your eyes take a few moments to let more light in.

5, Make sure you turn your light’s on, the dipped beams, can you remember what the light colour is on the dash?

6, Ensure your interior mirror and door mirrors are clean as this will make things harder to see.

When Driving

When driving on the roads in reduced light, not just in darkness, there are things that you really need to watch out for, things that don’t make it easy to see.

1, Pedestrians, how many wear hi vis clothing?  it’s rare isn’t it?  they mainly wear dark cloths that make them harder to see, especially if the weather is poor.

2, Don’t forget to watch your speed, this can creep over as you concentrate on the driving part.

3, Beware of animals, especially on country roads, some may run into the road straight in front of the car, in residential areas, cats have a habit of doing this, before you react think about what dangers there are, is it right to take action to not hit a cat but then hit a pedestrian or another car?

4, Think about your separation gap, your headlight may dazzle the car in front through reflections in their mirrors.

5, If you are using your main beams, make sure you use them in the correct places, for example, when there are no street lights. When oncoming traffic can be seen, ensure you turn them off as they can dazzle a lot. Remember what colour the light is on your dash?

Stopping and the Highway Code

Think about where you will be stopping and what the ‘highway code’ says about pulling up in the dark?, you must pull up on the left unless you are pulling up on a one way street, this is to stop the dazzle of any road users coming towards you, as UK lights are directed to the left, so they light up the left hand side of the road.

Rule-113

You MUST

• ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit between sunset and sunrise
• use headlights at night, except on a road which has lit street lighting. These roads are generally restricted to a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) unless otherwise specified
• use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226).

Night (the hours of darkness) is defined as the period between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise).

Rule-114

You MUST NOT

• use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders
• use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users (see Rule 226).

In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.(apply handbrake first)

Rule-115

You should also

• use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen
• keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming road users
• slow down, and if necessary stop, if you are dazzled by oncoming headlights

In Summary 

Make sure the lights and mirrors are clean, that you give your eyes time to adjust, using the correct lights at the correct time, be vigilant for other road users including pedestrians and animals, if you are dazzled by glare, don’t look into the lights, but towards the curb for the reflections, if it is that bad pull up on the left in a safe place.

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