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After dark
Some people claim that driving at night is safer because it is easier to see approaching traffic. In some situations this may be correct.
There are, however, a lot of things that you can’t see at night.
Your range of vision will be limited by the beam of your lights and/or the street lighting, which means that you will probably need to drive more slowly at night, especially on country roads.
Always drive at a speed from which you can stop safely if you see something in the beam of your headlights.
Getting the best view
Clean windows and mirrors are especially important at night when you have to glean as much information as possible from what little light is available.
Make sure that your lights are also clean so you gain maximum benefit from them and other people can see you. Never wear dark glasses when driving at night; they might cut dazzle but will dangerously reduce your vision.
When leaving a brightly lit building to go to your car at night it takes your eyes a little while to adapt to the darkness; this can range from a few seconds to a minute or more. Give your eyes time to settle before you start to drive. Similarly, when you drive from a brightly lit area into pitch darkness your eyes need a moment to react – keep your speed down.
Dip, don’t dazzle!
Switch on dipped headlights as soon as the light starts to fade at dusk. Drivers of dark-coloured cars need to use lights earlier than lighter-coloured cars. Use headlights on roads where there are no street lights.
When driving behind other vehicles at night, you shouldn’t be able to see what colour they are; if you can, you are either following too closely or using full beam when your lights should be dipped.
If the lights from the vehicle behind dazzle you, move your head slightly so that you are not in the direct line of the mirror. Most cars now have dipping mirrors to reduce glare from following traffic; these are operated by a simple flick switch on the mirror itself.
When you meet other traffic at night, dip your headlights. Do this as early as possible, even if the other driver doesn’t dip. Never try to dazzle another driver deliberately, no matter how much you think it is deserved.
Problems
If you break down at night try to move your car off the road; use hazard lights and put out a warning triangle. Stay safe by parking carefully at night; if there are no street lights, leave your side lights switched on.
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