Driving after dark is 40% more like to lead to an accident, but with the help of our night driving tips, you
can avoid becoming a statistic.
Reduced visibility has a huge impact on our ability to judge speed and distance, but if you follow our
advice there’s no reason why you should leave the car at home when the sun goes down.
Prepare properly for night driving
Preparation is often the best way to overcome a fear, and if you’re a nervous night driver you can
alleviate some of that anxiety by making sure you and your car are ready for the dark with these tips:
● Have regular eyesight checks – it may seem obvious, but many people have astigmatisms that
cause halos, glare and blurring at night. Talk to your optician if you struggle with these problems
to see if they recommend new lenses to help.
● Clean your windscreen – you may be able to get away with dirty glass during the day, but at
night any muck on your windows or windscreen is going to make it tough to see effectively.
Clean your windows inside and out with a decent anti-smear product and you’ll notice a big
improvement in visibility.
● Check your wipers – old windscreen wiper blades tend to smear, ineffectively remove water and
make a horrible noise. They’re cheap, so replace them every six months or as soon as they start
to fail.
● Be well rested – it doesn’t matter how confident a driver you are, if you’re sleepy you’re likely
to make errors, so don’t drive tired!
● Check your lights – make sure your headlights are clean, the bulbs are all working and that
they’re angled correctly to give you the best light coverage without dazzling other drivers.
Driving at night
Now that you’re properly prepared for your journey we can give you the most important of all night
driving tips: drive carefully! With visibility reduced it’s so much more important to be aware of other
road users… as well as pedestrians.
You’re much more likely to encounter drivers under the influence of drink or drugs at night, so give
everyone as much space as you can, and assume that they’re all a potential danger. The same is true of
pedestrians – especially around pubs and clubs – so be ultra aware that they could step into the road at
any time.
Don’t dazzle, dip your headlights
One of the biggest challenges drivers face at night is switching between full beam and dipped headlights
on country roads. It’s important to use your full beam when the roads are clear, but as soon as you see
another set of lights coming your way, you must dip your headlights immediately.
Even dipped headlights can be dazzling when they head your way, so don’t panic! Instead, look at the
nearside kerb, keep a steady speed and wait for the car to pass you.
If you follow these simple night driving tips, we’re sure that you’ll soon be just as confident driving after
dark as you are during the day.