Whether you are a tourist or resident, a situation might call for a drive in the dark. It could be an emergency or intended drive as a means to explore the nightlife.
Driving at night holds a very different sort of appeal that can’t be found in daytime driving and many tourists definitely prefer a vacation where they have the freedom to drive themselves around so they can have the opportunity to stop when and where they want, as many times as they want. However, the effects of the inexperience of driving in Ireland is even doubled when they decide to drive at night.
I remember when I just moved to Ireland, even though I was what you could consider an expert driver back in the United States, I had a very difficult time driving in Ireland. I would forget where a lot of buttons were and even make mistakes while trying to navigate. Thinking back now, I can laugh at the times when I missed my turning because I didn’t see the signs.
The worst part of all these was that all my troubles doubled at night and my work always made forced me to drive at night. It took me a while to adapt to it all but by taking certain precautions, I was able to avoid the worst and also adapt a bit faster than my colleagues that we moved at the same time.
Recently, seeing some new colleagues going through the same things that I went through at first made me realize this is a bigger problem that isn’t limited to just me. So, I came up with the idea to share these tips with you to ensure you drive safer around Ireland at night. Hopefully, these will also be as useful to you as they were to me when I just got in.
Although, before you go on, you must assess why night-time driving is challenging for you. Some people simply don’t like it. For others, it is majorly because they can’t see as clearly when it is dark due to a condition known as Night-Time Blindness. While for a lot more, it is either due to a lack of confidence or inexperience.
If yours is Night-Time Blindness, studies have shown that it is most likely due to underlying issues with your sight and you should get it checked out. And if you do not have this issue, it is still advisable to have your eyes checked out regularly just to make sure that everything is shipshape.
If however, you are just looking to work on your experience and confidence, then these tips are perfect for you. However, it pays to make sure you have auto insurance covering quite a lot of scenarios before embarking on any driving at all no matter the time of the day. This will protect you in the event that you made a mistake and damage your car or someone else’s own. Comparison site like theaa.ie can help you to learn more about the best types of car insurance and pick the one that you feel will best cover you for safety and financial reasons.
Once that is done, then you can embark on your driving. I guess it is only expected that you need to make sure that your car is in perfect condition before you drive it. All the lights, indicators, and reflectors are all clean and in great working conditions. There is absolutely no way you can see far ahead if your lights are covered with grime. The same goes for a broken light.
Also, you have to know the rules. For example, a broken headlight is an offense. Not only is it one, but can also prove to be quite dangerous as you could easily be mistaken for a motorcycle. Using your fog light in the absence of fog or snow is also considered an offense and should be avoided as it could impair the vision of an oncoming driver, leading to an accident.
Other tips that should be remembered include:
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Headlights
Many often do the mistake of using their fog lights at night because it is brighter. This, however, causes them to focus at a closer point on their road thereby preventing them from focusing their attention ahead to the endpoint of their headlights in the distance. Therefore, they are unable to read the road ahead properly and are without any advance warning of any imminent danger in front.
To prevent this, before starting a journey at night, you need to give your eyes some time to adjust to the darkness. This way, you will be able to easily see the road with your headlight and won’t have a need to switch on the fog light which if you haven’t forgotten, is an offense.
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Speed
Normally, the unwritten rule of speed when it comes to driving at night is that you must always go at a speed with which you can easily stop if there’s a need for it. In fact, you need to be able to stop within the distance you can clearly see which is the distance that is covered by your headlights.
Therefore, the darker it becomes, the slower you are expected to drive. This will give you enough time to react in the event of an emergency.
The best way to prepare for this is to have it at the back of your mind that night driving will take much longer than the same distance will take during the day. This way, you will feel the need to rush when the visibility is poor.
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Lights Adjustment
Another important rule to remember is that whenever you see a light ahead, you should make sure to dip your light. Also, when approaching a bend, you should also dip your lights earlier so that you don’t affect the vision of the oncoming driver as the angle can severely impair vision.
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Dazzling Lights
Just because you are following the rules and doing your best not to impair the vision of other drivers on the road doesn’t mean others will not impair yours. You have to always understand that at any given point in time, you are the only sane person on the road.
Therefore, if it does happen that someone beams their light and impairs your vision, you shouldn’t retaliate by doing the same as things will only turn out worse if both of you cannot see. It is better if you just slow down or even stop completely until the car passes. It could also help if you decide to turn your eyes away but be careful not to do this for prolonged periods for safety reasons.
Just before dipping your lights, you should take a precautionary glance towards your left side. You might be opportune to see something you might have otherwise missed.
When you are being overtaken, dip your light as they might affect the other driver. Also, when stopping, avoid leaving your foot on the brake as the light might dazzle other drivers also.
Finally, watch out for pedestrians and cyclists as they can be quite difficult to see at night and be generally careful on the road regardless of what time of the day. Motor accidents are a real thing and can mostly be avoided if only precautions are taken.
