Tips for Driving at Night

How can you make sure you’re a responsible, safe and careful driver at night? If you’ve passed your test in the daytime and during the summer or spring months, you may not have had much experience driving at night time. Winter gives you a completely different set of circumstances to deal with when you’re driving, especially in the dark. The reduced light can make it difficult to judge distance and your peripheral vision is affected.

You could be more tired at night too as your body clock will be telling you it’s night time even when it’s 4pm in the afternoon.

Lights

You’ll need lights to drive at night with front and rear lights in good condition. Check that all your lights are working and that they are clean. When you’re in a city, use a dipped beam if you see a car approaching you. You should also use then on country roads which are unlit.

Tiredness

If you’re tired then stop the car and have a coffee, you need to be fully rested before you set off again. Falling asleep at the wheel is a common reason for accidents, so a strong coffee and a short nap should help. If you see a service station ahead, stop and rest, try not to eat, as this could cause a more soporific effect. Plan the journey well in advance, and preferably take someone with you who can share the trip if your journey is a long one.

Slow Down

You’ll need to drive slower in the dark and this will help you see what’s up ahead so you can react quicker. Not all pedestrians or cyclists will be wearing reflectors so you need to watch for them.

Visibility

You’ll need to make sure your windows are clear and clean so you can see what’s in front, so plan ahead and make sure you’ve cleaned your car windows before setting off.

Extra Training

If you don’t feel comfortable driving at night and you want to be a more confident night time driver, then get in touch with us here at Compass Prodrive, because we have some training programmes which will help you. These include a test designed exclusively for new drives called Pass Plus and this offers advanced training for more experienced motorists.

Compass ProDrive – Premier Driving Instructors Edinburgh

Get in touch with us here at Compass Prodrive and one of our experienced team members will be more than happy you help you. If you have any questions about night time driving, or you want to learn how to drive you won’t find a better driving school in Edinburgh, so contact us today.