Not to drive on unlit roads at night?

[Cantdriveatnight]

I struggle to see on unlit roads at night. I don't know if this is an age thing because I've only been driving for a few years and I live in a fairly built up area where almost all roads have street lighting.

So although I do go out in my car in the dark, I do it as little as possible.

The only time this causes a slight issue is when I drive to visit my partner, as it means I have to take at least one afternoon off work (as the journey involves using the motorway) to go in daylight hours. Obviously this won't be a problem later in the year once the evenings are lighter, but I can't see any other way round it.

I don't feel safe driving in the dark on the motorway so I think it's better to stick to daylight. It does limit when I can travel obviously but I don't see any way round it. I do wear glasses for reading (very weak prescription), I've tried wearing them to drive but it doesn't make any difference.

My lights are definitely as they should be, like I said DP has driven my car on the motorway with no problem. It's slightly easier in his car which is newer with bright led lights but only slightly. Maybe my next car when I can afford to replace this one will have to be more like that.

I had this problem and was going to give up night driving. I changed car because my old one was beyond economic repair and the new one had much better headlights. I hated the new car so changed it after a year. The new headlights were like my first car but I found out the other car had extra bright bulbs. I replaced the bulbs with Osram Night Breakers and I can’t believe what a difference it makes. For about £30 it’s like every road has street lighting. Definitely worth swapping your headlight bulbs before giving up night driving.

Wow, this thread has been a revelation - I have astigmatism and hate night driving, now I know the glare etc is an actual 'thing', thanks!

I thought I was beginning to struggle with seeing to drive in the dark (which would be quite a problem as for several months of the year commutes both to and from work are entirely in darkness) but it turned out to be a film of dirt and salt on the headlights.

I am currently WFH but I realised I needed to wash the lights before literally every journey. I live rurally and the roads are filthy in wet/ wintry weather.

It is amazing what a difference to the brightness of the lights cleaning the glass made.

Obviously don't drive if you don't feel safe, but when I hear people say these kinds of things (also won't drive in snow/ heavy rain/ outside their local area) I do sort of think if you've passed your test you should be capable of driving most places and in most conditions. Why would you think that? Driving in snow isn't covered in the test, and we have so little of it nowadays that it's possible to have driven for years but never on snow or on ice. Heavy rain also isn't that frequent. And there's been enough people on this thread pointing out that conditions such as astigmatism can give you great difficulty driving on a road against oncoming headlights - nothing you can do about that. It used not to be a problem - I've driven on unlit roads for decades - but now there's a lot more traffic, so you spend more time driving into headlights and the headlights have got brighter.

YANBU, I am 47 and been driving for nigh on 30 years and I hate it as well. I had to do a 230 mile journey in September and the last couple of hours in the dark on an unlit motorway and then a diversion round an area I didn’t know also on unlit roads was truly horrible

Just to add a note of warning to anyone 50 ish, I had this problem and was seeing halos at night

At my routine check up a year ago I was shocked to be told I had a condition that becomes apparent at this age called Fuchs endothelial dystrophy which was causing this

I will eventually go blind and need a double corneal transplant to regain some vision, it’s an inherited condition and more common in women

I only know now because I have yearly optical checks

For anyone tempted by the yellow tinted “night driving” specs often advertised. Actual research shows they make it harder to see. As a basic principle of physics, the tinting allows less light to reach your eye.
Anti glare coatings are fine.

It can also be caused by Glaucoma, Diabetes and a number of other serious medical issues.

So please see an optician urgently if you have these symptoms - just in case.

I hate driving at night and find it naked it much harder for me to judge distance. I also hate the glare. I’m glad I’m not alone.

@Crumpetycrump

I have astigmatism, am heading for my sixties and have to drive home from one of my jobs on unlit roads through countryside with no houses so it's pitch black. It's fine as long as I have my lights on full beam. It's spooky though as you never see another car and the roads often have trees arching over them. I drive with the doors locked !

Actual driving in the dark is fine, it's the oncoming traffic with glaring lights that are the problem

I think that's the awful blue led headlights more then anything.

I've had astigmatism all my adult life and have never had a problem with night driving, my glasses correct it, not all contact lens do though.

I'm 52, been driving confidently and safely since I was 17. The last few years my night vision has really deteriorated, to the extent that I have had to ask work to adjust my hours so that I no longer have to leave in the dark. They have been brilliant in accommodating this (geddit).
I've tried everything, optician says there is nothing else they can do to improve it.

@Covidcovid

Here.

If there’s no cars coming towards me I’m fine. Any oncoming traffic and I can’t see anything.

This absolutely.

I havent driven at night for years now and I'm only 45. Glasses havent helped.

It's not about the ability to drive as a poster suggested above ie snow etc, it is about the ability to see, and not being able to judge distance - esp with an oncoming vehicle. I've been told it is called night blindness.

YANBU OP, it is not about feeling safe, it is about being safe.

Its a combination of age, tiredness, those new lights that they changed to and glare.

Ive driven m40 at night and even the only car going south and its absolutely pitch black your eyes adjust and then bam a car coming towards you on the other side and it dazzles your eyes cos suddenly there is this brightness.

If its safe to do so I always have my beams on. I do think its silly that we have unlit roads, why not just light them up and reduce the number of accidents that happen.

I particularly hate country lanes on pitch black, hard to make out the road as its tends to have more bends in it so only thing to do is slow down the speed.

I find having my GPS on when I'm driving unlit roads helpful at least I can see in advance of how the road is.

I didn't actually take up driving until I was about 39. By the time I was around 45 I had stopped driving in the dark, a good 15 years ago! I was really struggling so much to see where I was going once daylight faded and it made me feel panicky when I did drive.
Also being dazzled by other vehicles' headlights didn't help the situation so I decided that I was not going to end up killing either myself or someone else and have not driven in the dark since.
I asked the optician and he suggested driving glasses which were no use at all.

Also I wonder if its because I have an older car and the new cars have lights fhat are much brighter.

I think it's more noticeable because people are driving larger cars and the headlights are often at eye level if you have a normal car

I struggle to see on unlit roads at night. I don't know if this is an age thing because I've only been driving for a few years and I live in a fairly built up area where almost all roads have street lighting.

I think the fact you’ve only been driving a few years is a big factor here. I think you may be overestimating how comfortable everyone feels on unlit roads. I don’t think anyone goes, “Oh yes please, they’ve my favorite.” But as you get exposed to years of practice driving on them, you learn how not to let other headlights blind you, how to make the most of your headaches, and whether your windshield is dirty or dusty on an unlit road with headlights coming toward you will show you VERY quickly)

As for headlights themselves.their housing casing on older cars can get down to the point that it’s only showing 20% of your light: www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/old-headlights-can-be-dangerously-dim/

Maybe try to go for an unlit drive with your partner and watch for what really bothers you. Other headlights blinding you? You could try yellow or anti-flare glasses. If it’s that your headlights just don’t let you see enough of the road, you can replace your bulbs without replacing the whole car. Otherwise, it seems like a confidence issue. You need more time. As a newer driver, you won’t be comfortably driving in rain, sleet, snow, dim lighting, but you can learn how, if your partner is willing to help?

I do think its silly that we have unlit roads, why not just light them up and reduce the number of accidents that happen. Because lighting roads even when no-one's on them uses unnecessary energy because light pollution is already being shown to have adverse effects on other creatures that we share the world with.

so only thing to do is slow down the speed. Precisely. What a good job that those signs by the side of the road are indicating a maximum speed not a compulsory speed.

But as you get exposed to years of practice driving on them, you learn how not to let other headlights blind you I think the point is that for some of us the glare from headlights is spread out much more than for others, and no number of years practice is going to help that.

There was a time when driving on a country road meant full headlights, and dip on the odd occasion a car appeared from the other direction, casting your gaze temporarily to the side of the road so as not to be blinded. But now driving on an A road or even a B road means your headlights are almost permanently dipped and you have a constant stream of dazzling lights in the other direction. It has got a lot harder. Much prefer narrow lanes with no cars, even if they've got grass down the middle!

That's not to mention the drivers who seem to feel it is a kindness to drive behind you with their full beams on, so you have to adjust your rear mirror so you can't see anything.

so only thing to do is slow down the speed.

Thankyou @Covidcovid for posting that pic! That’s what I see at night!! I’ve been driving really slow and wondering what’s wrong with me when other cars approach but I’m ok when there’s no other cars and I can have full beam. This is on small dark windey country roads.

I have a new car, have had three cars in past 7 years and same problem with all of them, so no, in my case definitely not to do with the lights themselves.

Take a supplement containing lutein, it isn’t a magic cure but it does make a noticeable difference in glare.

Sounds obvious, but one tip is to avoid looking directly at oncoming lights, just look a bit to the side.
Another cool futuristic thing, is that I saw some car where your windscreen becomes a heads up display. So you are viewing an enhanced night vision camera image on your dashboard. Looked really smart, would make night driving much easier I think.