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Original poster

Motorway at night

99 replies

missyksmt · 05/09/2022 11:54

I've always been told that when driving on a motorway at night which has no lights, only cats eyes, that you can't use full beam. I used the motorway last night in heavy rain, and the cat eyes were absolutely useless. Am I just blind as a fucking bat or do you need to use full beam? Had to come off. Absolutely terrified me. Never again.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 05/09/2022 14:06

iklboo · 05/09/2022 14:04

If you can't see you slow down...

She left the motorway. Nowhere did she mention her speed either.

She was driving fast enough for the rain to not be able to see even though she had headlights on in the dark so she was driving too fast.

You can't leave the motorway without driving to an exit. You slow down on that drive.

theemmadilemma · 05/09/2022 14:09

My eyesight is perfect and I struggle with night vision on the roads. I can see pretty well at night in a unlit house, but in a moving vehicle and especially with all the bright new headlights I'm either dazzled or peering when there are no road lights.

FruitToast · 05/09/2022 14:10

Are you sure the lights were on dipped beam and not running lights? I was driving on the motorway in torrential rain last night and my dipped beam was perfectly sufficient even in the unlit parts.

iklboo · 05/09/2022 14:16

She was driving fast enough for the rain to not be able to see even though she had headlights on in the dark so she was driving too fast.

We've driven at 20 in conditions where we couldn't see for the rain even with headlights on.

workiskillingme · 05/09/2022 14:18

I really struggle at night on the motorway too. So much so I will time leaving places etc so I don't have to drive on them at night. It's shocking

Surtsey · 05/09/2022 14:30

Check, or get someone to check for you, that your dipped headlights are set properly. They can be altered up or down and I suspect yours are on the lowest setting.

Did you have your wipers on fast, and what speed were you doing?

Original poster
missyksmt · 05/09/2022 14:42

My wipers are automatic and were going at the fastest they could and I stuck to 55 which seemed like common sense to me as I know going too slow is equally as hazardous.

I'm going to go to the garage and get the headlight situation checked out. They are automatic too.. like they just come on all the time, it's not like I have to manually switch them on, my partner just said they are dipped headlights. He's drove it last winter when his car was delayed. However, I'm gonna get someone at the garage show me. Thank you for the suggestions!

Maybe I'm just not built for unlit motorway driving. Not that I ever want to test that theory again.

I was just genuinely confused like - surely to god that's not normal to expect to see like that. Perhaps if it had been busier with cars in front it wouldn't have seemed as daunting. It was just pure blackness in front and to the left.

OP posts:
Original poster
missyksmt · 05/09/2022 14:56

My partner just took me and showed me. I have 3 options on the indicator stick that click round.

Off
Side lights
Dipped

Then to get full beam I push the stick forward.

It's always on dipped.

Just not built for unlit motorways in the dark. Thankfully it was a very rare journey out on the PM, more than likely will never need to do it again.

OP posts:
Original poster
missyksmt · 05/09/2022 14:59

Or maybe I just struggle to see well in the dark. Always fine scooting about the lit town at night. If anything I enjoy it. Just really took me by surprise that.

OP posts:
yikesanotherbooboo · 05/09/2022 15:01

When this happened to me I discovered , rather late in the day, that a couple of bulbs were out.
Having said that, my bil who wears glasses, cannot see to drive at night but has no problems in the day or with small print etc so your plan to get a check sounds sensible.

OnaBegonia · 05/09/2022 15:18

@SavoirFlair
Fully agree, not open to interpretation. It's actually worrying the lack of general driving knowledge I read on MN. A lot of ppl should stay off the roads.

latetothefisting · 05/09/2022 15:28

missyksmt · 05/09/2022 13:24

Yeah I didn't. That's why I came off because I couldn't see a thing. 😂

Genuinely don't know how people manage to do that. It's not like rain and darkness is rare in this country.

Show quote history

I would argue very heavy rain to the point visibility is as reduced as you've described is pretty rare -been driving for 19 years, including all over the country for work, and can only remember 2-3 occasions max that I've really struggled to see more than a few feet in front of me, and when it has I've just slowed right down so im crawling along until the rain has passed, motorway or no motorway.

Plus until late at night most notorways are still fairly busy so you're not just relying on the cats eyes, it's the cats eyes plus your own dipped lights plus all the lights of all the other cars on the road so visibility is very poor.

Not to say that it's not something that is scary when it happens and sounds like you did the right thing but I can't agree that torrential rain limiting visibility + occurring late at night so it is pitch dark + otherwise very quiet roads correlate often enough for this to be a frequent problem for the vast majority of drivers.

Ineedsleepandcoffee · 05/09/2022 15:31

You should probably check your headlights are working and positioned correctly

SavoirFlair · 05/09/2022 16:35

OnaBegonia · 05/09/2022 15:18

@SavoirFlair
Fully agree, not open to interpretation. It's actually worrying the lack of general driving knowledge I read on MN. A lot of ppl should stay off the roads.

Thank you. The problem is that a huge majority of folk seem to think driving is a matter of what feels most comfortable to you - not what the guidelines ask

so for example folk saying “I drive in the middle lane because all that weaving in and out is dangerous” yet the Highway Code clearly stipulates “keep left unless overtaking”. People make up their own rules depending on what they’re most comfortable with and how likely they are to ever be caught.

Original poster
missyksmt · 05/09/2022 16:57

Stop being so pedantic. I didn't use full beam and I don't make up my own rules. I simply questioned it as I had very little visibility and on researching it, information online was conflicting.

OP posts:
Original poster
missyksmt · 05/09/2022 16:58

Ineedsleepandcoffee · 05/09/2022 15:31

You should probably check your headlights are working and positioned correctly

Booked in now to get this checked. Thank you for the suggestions! X

OP posts:
ColeensBoot · 05/09/2022 20:12

Fair enough. Wish everyone was as sensible as you.

Lunar270 · 05/09/2022 20:39

girlmom21 · 05/09/2022 14:06

She was driving fast enough for the rain to not be able to see even though she had headlights on in the dark so she was driving too fast.

You can't leave the motorway without driving to an exit. You slow down on that drive.

Show quote history

My thoughts too.

Drive at a speed you can see to stop and also see white lines. If it's raining that hard then you need to slow down.

I've been in the states when it's been torrential. Everyone was doing 10mph as windscreen wipers were doing nothing at all!

nutellachurro · 05/09/2022 20:58

I'd have just used my full beams

Tbh this is one of those many 'rules' I and most don't bother following

(Same goes for the no overtaking lines on the motorway)

maddening · 05/09/2022 21:05

Your lights also have a leveller to raise and lower the dip to account for weight in the car - there may be a slide dial to adjust.

GoAround · 05/09/2022 21:15

I’ve seen rain like that only once in France and all the cars were driving really, really slowly like 20mph and with hazards on. As for full beams on the motorway I’ve used them on the interstate in rural Iowa/Illinois and it was so so isolated, and also -30 out, it was genuinely terrifying! It’s absolutely not ok if there’s oncoming traffic.

OnaBegonia · 05/09/2022 21:16

@nutellachurro
What an awful attitude, so the rules don't apply to you? Just be a danger to other drivers.

nutellachurro · 05/09/2022 21:18

OnaBegonia · 05/09/2022 21:16

@nutellachurro
What an awful attitude, so the rules don't apply to you? Just be a danger to other drivers.

Only on MN do we have so many drivers with sticks up their bums

Most don't follow these minor rules for good reason

PhotoDad · 05/09/2022 21:24

Many (but not all) cars have a little wheel somewhere on the dashboard which allows the driver to change the angle of the headlights, depending on conditions and load in the car. Sometimes marked "0-1-2-3." That can make a difference! (I don't like night driving either, especially in rain.)

SilentHedges · 05/09/2022 21:30

This is topical as I have a family Do in October, 150 miles from me, involving motorways and unlit A roads. I think my family are annoyed that I won't drive and instead I want to take the coach (trains are too expensive now). Coach timings mean I'll miss part of the weekend.

I've had to now spell it out. I'm menopausal, I've lost all my confidence, I can't see at night, I get disorientated and it sends my anxiety through the roof. I avoid night driving at ALL costs. BTW I've been super confident all my life until recently.

OP, kudos for checking, but no full beam for cars coming the other way as that could be me gripping the steering wheel and now blinded by a full beam.