To ask how the hell to drive in the dark and rain?

[hanketypankety]

So yesterday I got caught driving home in a huge rainstorm. It was dark and I was driving along a main road but in an area surrounded by fields and no street lights. I'm embarrassed to say that I panicked and was crying in the car because I genuinely could not see a thing. To make it worse, lots of cars were either riding up my arse or overtaking me very fast. I eventually came up to an estate and pulled over to quietly have a stern word with myself to pull it together. But I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed that the majority of the traffic continued to be able to drive at the speed limit of 60 quite happily. I honestly could not see the road markings and that road often floods so no idea if and when I would hit a huge puddle and either skid off or flood my car. Any tips? Please be kind as I was genuinely frightened

Agreed. This is a very good point.
Grease can build up on the inside of the windscreen during the summer months with open vents and the use of aircon. 😎

Totally agree. The absence of cat's eyes on unlit roads makes them far less safe after dark.
I realise that there are maintenance costs attached to this but their presence makes roads far safer in hazardous conditions.

Not rtft but from the posts I’ve read, you’ve had some good advice.
Just wanted to add ur not alone - been driving years n still did not enjoy my hour long journey in pouring rain the other day.
Was going 30mph or less in a 60mph zone at one point as the foggy conditions n lack of visibility from pouring rain dictated it.
I wasn’t overtaken n didn’t feel guilty as I’ve been driving long enough to know if I can’t see nor can anyone else (even in good conditions you’ll always get the idiotic tailgater or overtaker - ignore them!).
My driving instructor always said that driving is actually easy - wen it’s safe to go, go. The same applies here, drive how it’s safe to drive...and ignore anyone else.

Following the tail lights of others is not recommended in the highway code as it 'gives a false sense of security'. That said, I agree it can help at times when visibility is poor.

A lot of people drive to the speed limit, instead of driving to the to road conditions.

In heavy rain on a road that often floods it is often sensible to drive below the speed limit, whether it is dark or not.

It sounds to me as if you were being sensible in the circumstances, but those around you were not adapting to the situation, and were therefore the ones driving dangerously.

Our stretch of motorway often has a lower speed limit when there is a lot of surface water.
There are roads in France where the speed limit is automatically lowered when it is raining, without it having to be a storm. It is done for a reason.

cars on your tail are the worst,
i was redirected recently and the cars behind me obviously knew the road, unlike me,
such aggressive overtaking

We were out in the dark and rain last night. DH was driving, I also don’t like driving in those conditions. The car in front went the wrong way around a temporary roundabout! Thankfully there was no one coming the other way. DH didn’t do anything dangerous but he did miss our turn off just from concentrating on the road.

I’m with you @hanketypankety

many people don’t make adjustments for adverse weather when driving and they have accidents!

if you’re slowing everyone down (a bit!) you’re probably doing them a favour.

I drive a substantial 4 wheel drive car , I recently aqua plained at about 45mph in a 50 limit (where many do 60+), on double white lines for “hidden dips”, where you couldn’t necessarily see on coming headlights.

thankfully it was a panicked 2-3 seconds straightening it out & I carried on!

the point is your car could be a safe as you want, with huge chunky tyres, driving on a straight road, but you’re still at risk of the elements and should travel at at safe speed.

speed limits are limits, not targets!

other drivers on the road are tw!ts ! & are so far very fortunate, but often an over confident accident waiting to happen

follow the tail is surely used with fog lights?

All advice as previous, as someone who drives a 60-mile round trip daily to work im used to it and can see clearly plus when its roads used regularly you get to know where the roads may flood where to slow down ect.
If you couldnt see well perhaps an eye test Op.

I struggle in the dark due to having astigmatism so lights can be quite blinding. Combined with heavy rain it's really bad. I work shifts and have to drive on a notorious A road to get home and it's a nightmare at times. Most people carry on doing 90-100 even in a torrential downpour. I'm used to that road so know the layout, what's ahead etc so I know how fast I can/can't go luckily.
Same advice as everyone else really, just slow down, leave a lot of space or pull over till it passes. Unfortunately it's other, inpatient drivers that are usually the issue in these situations. I do agree with a PP though. If you're this wound up, some night lessons could be of help. I don't think there's any shame in being worried about adverse driving conditions. You've got to remember you're in control of a very heavy, potentially very dangerous bit of machinery and it's always best to be cautious if visibility is compromised or you feel stressed.

I do find it annoying however when people panic/forget how to drive when there is a bit of drizzle. Lots of sharp breaking & cutting people up. Those type of drivers are dangerous.

You need to NGAF about other bell end drivers up your rear. If you’re a new driver, this takes time. Once you have the NGAF nailed, you will feel a lot calmer. Don’t be intimidated; if they want to wrap themselves around a tree, let them.

If the glare of rear traffic is blinding, I move my rear view mirror so I can’t see the lights. This may sound risky, but I’m aware that I have traffic behind me so I don’t need the mirror for a few minutes and being blinded is extremely dangerous, obviously.

I live rurally and often find myself driving in treacherous conditions. You get used to it. Clean windscreen is vital. Keep your eyes directly in front of you, don’t be drawn to looking at the lights in the opposite direction. Pretend that traffic doesn’t exist. Use the lines on the road and any cats eyes appropriately. Always pull over when overwhelmed by the conditions.

I find similar problems, especially as I got older. (Haven't read all 11 pages of the good advicebut...) I have anti glare glasses which help. They are big enough to wear over my other glasses...I think they look cool haha. Look down towards the road. and slightly to the left as you are driving, as well. Your rear view mirror should have an angle lever that flips it very slightly to counteract glare...not everyone knows about that and it really helps when you have those glaring lights behind you. Safe driving!

I've had this in a snowstorm, i was on the motorway and I couldn't see anything as it was coming down fast and heavy and the wipers were old and bot doing a good job, it scared me so much I actually had to pull over and call my husband who came to get me as I didn't think i could carry on driving in that car and decided to go back home as I'd just set off on a long journey. Even when it rains heavy in the dark it can get scary especially on motorways at high speed one mistake can be fatal so I hate driving in bad weather on motorways.

I did not know this about astigmatism! I definitely get that but it's ok in the dark and rain on main roads, like the street lights cancel it out. Got a bit of a shock driving on a busy lane yesterday and experiencing blinding lights for the first time.

Tip to look to the left is really useful. I felt I could always see but the blinding was quite scary.

Also yes on the windscreen - have now cleaned the inside rather than just the outside.

This has happened to me those dark fast roads are so scary I hate driving in the dark !!

Then I suggest you stop driving.

Rain so heave that you can’t see even with the fastest wiper setting is rare but if it happens slowing down and then pulling over when safe to do so is completely appropriate. Sounds like you did the right thing.

If you take out the part about living in another country, I could have wrote this exact post. Eye test is Saturday….

Glad I’m not alone I thought I was the only one! I brazen it out and go only as fast as I feel safe, no matter what the car behind me thinks about it.

The speed limit is a maximum limit in good conditions - not a target. You don’t have to do the speed limit if it’s unsafe conditions. People are idiots. They drive too fast in poor conditions and they have accidents. People die.

One time a car behind me beeped and tailgated to speed me up when I should have been going slowly and paying attention, and it caused me to run over someone (just a broken leg thankfully). So now I ignore other drivers and focus on driving safely.

You have my every sympathy OP. I'm doing an intense learner course, 2 hrs a day, atm and these conditions are awful to learn in (my lessons are 3.30-5.30 so I'm getting the dark and rain). 2 other cars crashed in front of me last week at a major junction.

I also have astigmatism so struggle with the LED lights, and then the reflection off wet roads also.

For the person mentioning moving RVM to avoid lights - most have an auto position for night driving when lights are a nuisance and its possible to flick the mirror to this position and still see lights just not as brightly - it doesn't impact seeing other things as they can't be seen anyway.

What I am finding at the moment there are quite a few cars on the roads whose lights are far too dim and my auto beam adjuster is not registering them meaning I have to manually. Thought it was dodgy at first but realised it's the other vehicles poorly maintained. so always worth having your lights checked and ensuring they are at the right angles for the loads you are carrying and therefore lighting your front view optimally

Exactly, drive to suit the road and weather conditions, Ignore anyone hassling you, beeping,, flashing. Let them sort themselves out. You concentrate on the road ahead of you. Be aware of your surroundings, read,the road and think ahead.

No. Rear Fog lights are just to enhance the visibility of your vehicle when it's really foggy, not as a "follow me" light.