Long distance driving in the dark

Bit of a silly question but I come from a family who never drive on the motorway due to my mum's absolute massive phobia so I don't know these things :o:

Anyway, I've driven long distances on the motorways before from bournemouth to Stafford but tomorrow I'm doing it after the sun sets and have never done it in the dark before.

Is there anything in particular that is different about nighttime driving? and is there anything I should keep an eye out for in the dark that may not necessarily be an issue in day time?

Cheers :h:

Reply 1

Iqbal007

Original post by letsdothetimewarpagain

Bit of a silly question but I come from a family who never drive on the motorway due to my mum's absolute massive phobia so I don't know these things :o:

Make sure you always keep a good distance between the car in front as well the one behind..............make sure you check your mirrors carefully cos at night your more likely to miss something out, especially as theres some dodgy drivers out there

Reply 2

Maccees

I prefer driving at night to be honest, your viability is nowhere near as good, but in general there are less cars on the road as well.

You are more likely to see other cars and such because they will (should) have their lights on, hard to miss in the dark haha.

Sometimes you get some inconsiderate people that like to put their full beams on, that can be a bit of a pain.

Reply 3

letsdothetimewarpagain

Ah that's good, just seems like small things to keep an eye on then. Just thought it worth checking there is nothing major between day and night before I do it seeing the result of the M5 crash.

I'm fairly confident on the motorways anyway and prefer driving on them to the smaller local roads around here :biggrin:

Cheers

Reply 4

bluemax

1. Keep your headlights always on, on maximum beam if required, because there is considerable lower visibility at night.

2. DRIVE SLOW....even if the lane is empty, DO NOT RACE!!!!!!!

oh and check your brake oil, radiator water just in case.

hopefully you'll be okay.

Reply 5

zigzog7

dont have your lights on full beam on the motorway unless it is completely empty coming the other way, and dip them when you see a car comight towards you. Also be aware of animals, they are more likely to wander onto roads at night than during the day.

Edit: forgot about people going the same way as you, dont dazzle them either.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

L3mon

Only have full beam on when its dark, no oncoming traffic and no cars infront. You'll probably kill someone otherwise.

Reply 7

Tapner

My advice would be to drive more cautiously and take your time.

Reply 8

Nuffles

Motorways are actually pleasant to drive at night - about 3am is probably my favourite time to drive. You can just hammer down the slow lane at about 80 with your full beams on and no one around to get in your way/drive stupidly. Keep an eye out for tail lights in front of you and change lanes well in advance. I tend to flick my rear view mirror from daytime to anti-dazzle and back depending on whats around - flick it down if there's a car around me and back up again when no one's behind me to retain as much rearward visibility as possible. Keep an eye on your speed if you drive a car that can easily go past 90 - you have far less visual cues at night to tell you how fast you're going and you can quite easily find yourself hammering along at a hundred without realising. This is all well and good (and pretty safe so long as no one else is around) until you realise you're coming up to the car in front far faster than you expected to - or if there are some bored coppers around.

I generally prefer driving at night because although your effective visibility is limited, other car's headlights especially tell you where they are long before you see the car itself. I've fitted extra spotlights too and their effective beam is about as far as I can see in daylight anyway (I've yet to own a car I haven't fitted at least two 100W spotlights to, if not four, as I just feel blind at night without them now).

Just take it easy and don't become complacent.

Reply 9

Fuzzed_Out

Motorway driving is much easier at night, cars are much easier to spot due to having lights, I personally have never had a problem with animals but it is something to bare in mind. Tiredness is the killer so if I expect to be doing a long drive after 11 I always grab a can of redbull or something from the services in case of emergency.

Reply 10

Walter Ego

Whenever I have a long drive to do I prefer to do it at night, but then I choose unusual times to do many things (always shop at 6am to avoid idiots at busy times etc). I usually go to Cornwall from Leeds once/twice a year, and always set off at 11pm-1am. The light traffic means I make good, unhindered progress, once covering the 400 miles in just 4 hours (not advised).

Don't use full beam headlights unless there are no other moving cars visible ahead, either going the same way as you, or coming towards.

Use the flip on the rear view mirror to dim the headlights of cars behind as it can be both distracting and tiring.

Dim the dashboard lights for the same reason, and if using sat-nav, see if it has a 'night' setting, again so it causes less glare and distraction.

If you feel tired, open a window for fresh air, and try to make a stop to stretch your legs, top up on caffeine, or even have a snooze for 1/2 hour.

As it's quiet you should be able to do much of the journey with proper lane discipline, only moving out to pass trucks etc and returning to lane 1. Good practise, as when it's busy during the day it is often practically impossible to use proper lane selection due to traffic volume.

As you pass trucks, don't be surprised if they give you a little flash of their lights. They're simply telling you that you are safely past and can move back into lane 1. They do this out of habit to assist each other as it can be difficult to judge the length of their vehicles.