Driving at night is so peaceful. The roads aren’t as busy and the street lights light the way. Or, for those country drives, your headlights light up the road ahead. But there are a few times where night time driving can become a bit more dangerous.
- If the weather is severe – like snow, sleet or heavy rain and wind
- Long-distance drives at night
Immediately though night time reduces your visibility, so being more careful is a given – for most people. Your headlights only light up so much of the road though, so here are some things that can make your night time drives better.
DEFENSIVE
Some people naturally drive defensively, and others don’t. At night it becomes more critical for you to become more defensive. Being more vigilant will reduce many of the possible risks that are associated with nighttime driving. After all, you don’t want to find out the difference between DUI vs DWI unless you’ve googled it – not because you took a chance on a quick drink because the roads are quiet.
HEADLIGHTS
Your headlights are going to be one of the best ways for you to keep some visibility. The problem is that many people don’t use their headlights properly. If your headlights are tilted too high, this will impact drivers on the opposite side of the road, if they are too low, you are missing critical visibility.
Some newer cars have headlights that will adjust to their surroundings, others will need to be done manually.
Highbeams are underutilized almost all of the time, they are incredibly helpful in rural areas. You just need to remember that you need to dim them if you are within 500 feet of oncoming vehicles.
CLEAN SCREEN
At night your surroundings are darker, and all of the lights can highlight and smear or dirt you have on your windscreen that can have a significant impact on your visibility. Make sure that your lights and screen are all cleaned and ready for driving at night time.
RURAL
If you live in the countryside or you are going to be driving somewhere off the beaten path, you are more likely to run into animals like foxes and deer. Most collisions with animals will happen at either dusk or dawn. And, this is even more likely between October and January.
Your high beams will help you spot an animal on most occasions, however, sometimes they do just run out. It is vital to you notice any road signs that indicate there may be animals and adjust your speed accordingly. Animals are prone to darting and making erratic movements, the best thing to do is slow down and give them time to move.
Driving in the evening is the ideal way to arrive somewhere first thing in the morning to make the most of a holiday, or to ensure that you don’t experience a lot of traffic as you travel. You can simply listen to your music and enjoy the experience. Adhere to a few simple safe driving tips, and you can have a peaceful event-free night time driving adventure.
Photo Credit: Lamborghini
