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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to hate driving at night

57 replies

frenchisbest · 03/01/2012 01:17

I passed my test 10 years ago.. And think i am a goodish driver during daylight, even in bad weather or motorway... But at night, I am awful, I just cant see properly, get blinded with the glares of other cars, get nervous on a roads with loads of bends and stress so much because i am holding the traffic as i am driving so slow... Just today a hour drive through the country from a family party turned into 1 and half hour of hell after the sat nav decided to send me through the tiniest lanes and just the biendiest country roads.. I could feel myself sweating and shaking... And felt even worse since i had my 2 little ones in the car.. And cant not drive as my partner has a condition which doesn't allow him to drive and live in a village...
Please tell me I am not the only one...

OP posts:

iFailedTheTuringTest · 03/01/2012 19:46

Lessons, and practice. You will probably never enjoy it, but strive to be safe.

But I think people who brake when a vehicle passes on the opposite carriageway should be banned.

ProfessorSunny · 03/01/2012 19:51

I find the lights very dazzling as well, I thought it was because i switched from a taller car (picasso) to a smaller one so am more at the level of the lights. They were never a problem before.
I have green eyes, maybe that does make a difference.

AriesWithBellsOn · 03/01/2012 21:48

Lights with magic headlights like Mercedes are generally the ones which blind and dazzle other drivers I'm afraid. Those irritating blue-looking lights.

JsOtherHalf · 03/01/2012 22:34

i have blue eyes, and dislike driving at night. I can manage ok on main roads that are well lit, but I struggle on unlit roads. I prefer a sat nav for strange roads at night, as I can therefore anticipate the route ahead a lot better.
I find the amber coloured driving glasses helpful.

BuntyPenfold · 03/01/2012 23:22

I hate driving at night, and have blue eyes - very blue, is that an even better excuse?
Oncoming headlights dazzle me, so I creep along in dark lanes. There are no white lines in the lanes here either.

lemoncurd20 · 20/12/2014 21:50

Sorry to update a really old thread but I suffer from this too - I also have blue eyes, my partner drives every time at night if we are together - he has no issues at all.

Soon I will have to drive in the evenings and I'm shitting bricks to be honest.

AlpacaLypse · 20/12/2014 22:01

Thank you hq for the zombie alert but lemoncurd20 did it first!

I can't handle driving at night, I have astigmatism (although optician reckons this shouldn't affect my night vision) and the oncoming lights - including streetlight and roadsigns - just turn into a shimmering mess.

I have green/blue eyes, DP is brown, he is 100% happy to drive at night and is sympathetic but bemused.

We have twin dds, who are rapidly approaching Learning To Drive age. And guess what? DTD1, the brown eyed clone of her dad, is raring to go. Whereas DTD2, who I have never ever mentioned my eye issues in front of in case it freaked her out, has tonight said how she's a bit scared of this driving thing as when she's a passenger at night everything seems to be a shimmering confusion...

RedSoloCup · 20/12/2014 22:07

OP have you had your eyes tested lately, I have to have glasses for night driving only and they do make a huge difference.

IloveOreossx · 20/12/2014 22:09

Im not sure what theyre called but I have special driving glasses, The lenses are yellow and stops you from being blinded by oncoming drivers, REALLY helps me.

FullOfChoc · 20/12/2014 22:09

I have green eyes and hate driving at night ! Am going to try the tip of looking to the verge.

JaceLancs · 20/12/2014 23:17

I get night blindness too - has got worse as I've got older
I find wearing light polarising sunglasses helps - sounds bizarre but works for me!
I also second buying brightest headlight bulbs you can get quite expensive but well worth it - halfords sometimes have them as a Bogof

championnibbler · 20/12/2014 23:23

You're not alone. I HATE driving at night, I feel like i can't believe what i'm seeing on the road, or something, even though i have good eyesight. awful.

SorchaN · 20/12/2014 23:43

Really interesting about the blue eyes! My partner has blue eyes and hates driving at night, whereas I have green eyes and don't mind it. However, I remember I found it really daunting when I first passed my test, and I definitely think that experience helps. Maybe go for a few short drives on familiar roads after dark, and build up from there? I sympathise re the satnav - I find them impossible to use and would rather read a map any day (or night)!

Bakeoffcakes · 20/12/2014 23:50

I hate driving at night but I have dark brown eyes. It's only the last few years I felt like this so Im not sure if its an age thing. I'm 49.

Stayingundertheduvet · 20/12/2014 23:58

I really struggle at night and have blue eyes and like many of the previous posters get blinded by headlights and can't see the road especially on narrow country roads. I have to slow down to almost stop and must really annoy other drivers. The only thing that has helped is the yellow driving glasses bought online (worn over prescription glasses).

OriginalGreenGiant · 21/12/2014 00:00

I also hate driving at night. I find it impossible to judge distance or speed, and just can't work out the way the road is turning iyswim. A motorway at night, unless there's a car in front of me I can follow is a nightmare.

I wear contacts, I have extremely poor vision (-11.5) and astigmatism. Although obviously my vision is corrected with lenses, I do wonder if the heavy correction still has an effect.

ChickenMe · 21/12/2014 00:02

Very interesting. I have green eyes and although I drive at night quite a lot I have to concentrate hard. It's got easier over time-at first I was like wtf lights everywhere, things reflecting on the windscreen, cars looking like they are flashing you, getting dazzled..Brown eyed OH has no such issues. I'm off to the opticians in the new year then.

chrome100 · 21/12/2014 07:18

I hate it too. I find it really disorientating.

But why do you use a sat nav? Just get a road atlas and use the major roads. It'll be far easier.

I'm driving home from Yorkshire to Cumbria tonight. Best way is the a65 which is unlit and very windy. So I'll just go on the motorway even though it's far longer.

AlpacaLypse · 21/12/2014 10:00

I think I might try those yellow over-glasses mentioned upthread. This is a rural area and avoiding night driving is beginning to affect what we do.

misskangaandroo2014 · 21/12/2014 10:55

I am intrigued by the blue eyes and night driving thing. I once was a passenger and kept suggesting I drive (I was insured on the car) because the blue eyed driver was reacting very strongly to oncoming cars. He thought (exH) I was having a go. I am wondering how to subtly drop this info his way as his new partner is brown eyed and sometimes driving in the dark is making access tricky. I offer, she offers. Hmmmm

Knottyknitter · 21/12/2014 11:07

Can sometimes be a sign of early cateract, so worth getting an opticians appointment in the new year.

Not unreasonable in itself not to drive at night, unless you want or need to and are finding yourself getting stuck or isolated because of it. If you are, then unreasonable not to look for a reversible element.

EBearhug · 21/12/2014 11:17

I am blue-eyed, but driving at night doesn't bother me too much. I think it's partly because I learnt to drive in the countryside, so I've been used to driving without streetlights from the outset, plus we were always travelling home in the dark in winter throughout my childhood. So I think practice helps a lot. I also have a button on my rear-view mirror that can switch it between two positions, so it's easy to remove glare without having to wiggle the mirror around while driving, and is a lot easier than the car I learnt to drive in.

After I passed, I didn't drive much for some years (couldn't afford it), so when I did get a car, I took a couple of lessons - a general refresher, motorway and night driving - where I was told the trick of looking at the verge.

I have also had my eyes lasered since then, though I didn't notice any difference, other than I didn't have to wear glasses. But I didn't get any haloing or the like which can be a side effect.

Rivercam · 21/12/2014 11:17

I'm blue eyed and hate driving at night also.

I have to do a 15 mile route (30 mile round trip) once a week to take my son to a sports club. For me, it's a huge trip. My husband thinks nothing of doing a 6 hour round trip in a day. I'm actually quite proud of myself for doing it, although avoid the motorway-like dual carriageway in favour of the country roads, but that's another thread.

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 21/12/2014 12:04

I'm blue eyed, and night driving in a car is less pleasant than it was 10 years ago in my 40s. In the HGV I'm well above all but the most badly adjusted headlights. DF was blue eyed and he wouldn't drive at night after his 60th unless it was vital.

phlebasconsidered · 21/12/2014 12:33

I never knew that about blue eyes and night driving. It explains things! I hate it. I simply can't judge distance well and the headlights dazzle me far too much. I thought it was my glasses and the fact that I'm small and thus face more directly at them.

I too live rurally and it's a mare at night. No white lines, no cats eyes, and tons of bloody mud from the tractors. I just drive slowly and everyone else hates me.

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