Driving at night. Harris Driving school. Harris Driving School

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1 Harris Driving school Driving at night Harris Driving School Phone: / info@harrisdrivingschool.ie Web: 1

2 Driving at Night You ll find you are very much more limited by conditions at night. You can t see as far as you can in daylight, so less information is available. Contrast falls, colours fade and edges become indistinct and you are more likely to grow tired as night driving puts extra strain on your eyes. If you find you can t see well at night you may need to have your eyesight checked. Even in the best conditions your ability to assess the speed and position of oncoming vehicles is reduced at night, so you need to allow an extra safety margin. Your vehicle lights At night your vehicle lights are the most important source of information for both you and for other road users. Keep them clean and correctly aligned i.e. main beam directed straight ahead and dipped beam slightly to the left so as not to dazzle oncoming vehicles. To enable you to see the greatest distance you should normally use main beam headlights on unlit roads unless: You re following another vehicle You re meeting oncoming traffic as the main beam will dazzle other drivers. When you overtake another vehicle, return to main beam when you are parallel with it. You should use dipped headlights: Between dusk and dawn In built-up and well lit areas In situations when dipped headlights are more effective than main beam i.e. when going around a left-hand bend or at a hump back bridge In heavy rain, snow and fog when the falling droplets reflect glare from headlights on main beam. Glare Windows, mirrors and the lenses of lights and indicators should all be clean to give the best possible visibility. The slightest film of moisture, grease or dirt on windows or mirrors will break up light and increase glare, making it hard to see out. Built-up areas Always use dipped headlights. It helps others to see you. In areas where street lighting cause patches of shadow watch out for pedestrians, especially those in dark clothes. Approach pedestrian crossings at a speed at which you can stop safely if necessary. Watch for cyclists and joggers. 2

3 Using the horn at night You must not use the horn between 11.30pm and 7.00am in a built up area (except to avoid danger from a moving vehicle). If you need to warn other road users of your presence at night, flash your headlights. Speed at night You need to be more alert and aware that you can t drive as fast at night as you can in daylight. Never drive so fast that you can t stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. That is within the range of your lights. If you can t stop safely within the range of your lights, you re going too fast. Overtaking You will need to take extra care before attempting to overtake at night. It s more difficult because you can see less. Only overtake if you can see that the road ahead will remain clear until after you have finished the manoeuvre. Don t overtake if there s a chance you are approaching a road junction a bend the brow of a hill or bridge a pedestrian crossing or if there s likely to be a vehicle overtaking or turning right any other potential hazard. If you are being overtaken Dip your headlights as soon as the vehicle draws along side you and keep them dipped until you can raise them without dazzling the other driver. Following at night When you follow another vehicle, dip your headlights and leave a long enough gap so that you don t dazzle the driver in front. Your lights should fall short of the rear of the vehicle in front. Keep a safe separation distance. When you overtake, move out early with your headlights still dipped, when you are alongside the other vehicle return to main beam. 3

4 Meeting other vehicles and Dazzle Headlights shining directly into your eyes may dazzle you. This can happen when the headlights of other vehicles are undipped or badly adjusted, on right hand bends and steep inclines. You should not use main beam in the face of oncoming drivers. Switch to dip lights as they approach and return to main beam when they are passing alongside. Check the nearside verge before you dip, to identify if any danger exists. To help avoid dazzle, look towards the nearside edge of the road. This enables you to keep your road position but does not tell you what is happening in the road ahead, so slow down or stop if necessary. If you are dazzled by undipped headlights, flash your own lights quickly to alert the other driver, but don t retaliate by putting on your main beam. If you did, both you and the other driver would be converging blind. If dazzled by the headlights of a following driver reflecting off the interior mirror use the anti-dazzle mechanism on the mirror. Remember to reset it as soon as possible. Information from other vehicles lights You can get a great deal of useful information from the front and rear lights of other vehicles, e.g. the sweep of the headlights of vehicles ahead approaching a bend can indicate the sharpness of the bend, and the brakelights of vehicles in front can give you an early warning to reduce speed. Visual aids (cat s eyes, reflective/luminous posts, road markings) At night the following visual aids assist in providing information on road layout and junctions. Drivers must know what each represent: Amber Cat's Eyes are located on the left where they denote the hard shoulder or the nearside verge. They are also found on the right edge of the offside lane of a dual carriageway outlining the central reservation. White Cat's Eyes denote the lane divide on all roads. Green Cats Eyes on the left denote the location of a Junction bellmouth Green and White luminous posts can be either side of a junction bellmouth. Broken Yellow Lines on the drivers left denote they are on a National Route. Solid Yellow Line on the drivers left denote they are on a Motorway. Parking at night Vehicles must only be parked where it is safe, legal and convenient. They must be parked parallel to, and close to, the side of the road or in a designated parking place and facing in the direction of the traffic flow. 4

5 When parking for short periods consider leaving the parking lights on, where it would help. Always switch headlights off when you park, even for a short while. It s an offence to leave them on. The fixed glare can be very dazzling, especially if, for any reason, the vehicle is on the offside of the road facing oncoming traffic. 5