Tips for driving at night

If you are one of those who regularly makes night-time journeys or, on the contrary, is afraid of driving at these hours, here are some tips for driving at night.

Driving at night is not to everyone’s liking, which is why many drivers sometimes avoid taking the car out once the sun goes down. However, there are people who cannot afford to do so, since their schedules force them to leave home before dawn and return at night. This is more common in winter, as in summer the days seem longer because we have more hours of daylight.

The main reason why some drivers do not like driving in these conditions is the lack of visibility or simply the fear of the dark, which causes insecurity behind the wheel. Therefore, if we add to this adverse weather conditions, the risk of having an accident increases considerably.

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Nevertheless, there is some basis to this, since a driver’s reaction capacity depends 90% on visibility, and this is greatly reduced at night. In addition, drivers with vision problems face greater difficulties because they are more sensitive to glare and blurred vision.

So, if you are one of the drivers we are talking about and you do not like taking the car out at certain hours, we are going to give you a few tips for driving at night. These will not remove your fear, but they can help you increase your safety behind the wheel.

On the other hand, if you have no fear of driving at these hours of the day and, moreover, you do it often, these tips may still come in very handy.

9 tips for driving at night

Here are our tips and recommendations for when you are going to drive at night:

Check the lighting systems

Make sure the lighting systems of your car are working properly, since on them depends whether we can see the road when we set out at night. If you tend to drive in the early hours, it is advisable to equip your car with the latest lighting technologies. Many modern cars have LED headlights, which offer good illumination although they also have their drawbacks. If you want to know them, do not miss the advantages and disadvantages of LED headlights made by our sister site, Highmotor.

Adjust the rear-view mirrors

The rear-view mirrors are also a fundamental part when driving at any time of day (although some people forget they exist). However, even more attention must be paid to these elements at night.

Car headlights can cause glare if they are incorrectly adjusted. For this reason, it is important to have a good alignment to avoid it. Furthermore, it is not enough that you avoid dazzling others; you must also be careful with the use of your lights so as not to cause glare for other road users.

Turn on the lights in good time

The fact that there is still sunlight does not mean that your visibility is full or that your car is 100% visible to other drivers. For this reason, it is important to switch on the dipped headlights at least an hour before sunset.

Check your eyesight

You may have checked your car’s bulbs a thousand and one times, but in the end everything depends on your eyes. That is why it is even more important that you are sure you can see perfectly, and the only way to do so is to have regular eye tests with an ophthalmologist.

Adapt your speed

With less visibility, reaction times are longer, so keeping a greater safety distance becomes essential. Therefore, should any unexpected event occur, we will have several metres ahead of us that will allow us to avoid the accident.

Do not drive if you are tired

If you are making a journey at night, whatever the distance, you must be rested. Even more importance should be given to this if you are going on a long trip, since in this case it is advisable to take a break every hour and a half to prevent the darkness from encouraging fatigue and sleepiness.

Of course, if you notice any symptoms such as watery eyes, eye strain, drowsiness or itchy eyes, stop in a safe place and rest for as long as necessary.

Ventilate the cabin and do not play overly relaxing music

It is important that the cabin has good ventilation, so it is advisable to keep a window slightly open or, failing that, use the climate control to maintain a comfortable temperature. In addition, avoid overly relaxing music: lullabies are for sleeping, and that is the last thing we want behind the wheel.

Keep the windows clean

The front and rear windscreens are the windows through which we see what is in front of and behind us, so it is essential that they are clean. Keeping them in good condition not only gives us good visibility, but also prevents glare, since dirt can make it worse.

Plan your route

Try to avoid roads in poor condition or with poor lighting for your night-time journeys. The best roads for driving at night are motorways and dual carriageways, so try to make most of your route on these types of road.

We hope these tips are useful if you tend to take the car out at night. However, if you are one of those who fears night-time journeys and, even after reading this article, your insecurity has not diminished, avoid driving at night.