Bright Headlights and Night Driving

[8Ace]

If you would be so good, I have a question for you all regarding night driving on country roads.

Firstly, I don't have any formal advanced tuition but have a book on Advanced Driving, regularly read this forum and my Dad was a police driver so I feel happy with the concepts, but one thing recently has got me thinking.

I'm aware, particularly when cornering, that you should always drive at a speed that enabled you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear.

However, on roads at night, particularly with the proliferation of Xenon bulbs, badly adjusted headlights and the constant fog-light brigade, that when a stream of cars is coming the other way, you really can see very little ahead of you. Certainly it's very hard to see hazards on your side of the road and often where the road actually goes. This last point is exacerbated by a reluctance to renew cats eyes, which is a certain problem in Bucks as well as elsewhere.

How then is it possible to make adequate progress, especially on roads that you don't know, if you are resorted to reducing speed to a level that allows you to see the road ahead. Constantly slowing down is bad for traffic flow and can (as I have discovered) cause chagrin with other road users. In this case, their positioning round a couple of bends and subsequent overtake made me think they knew the road in question).

Following a couple of incidents where I came across an unsighted large deep puddle at c. 40mph (wet roads so glare prevented me from seeing the thing)I am wondering if there is any way round this dilemma. The prospect of meeting a badly lit cyclist in similar circumstances really fills me with dread as they would simply be invisible.

Any tips? I'm always looking to learn and improve so would be most grateful to hear your replies. Keep up the good work.

[somouk]

Are your own headlights up to the job?

I've had a couple of cars where the headlights have been very dim in comparison to other road users, this has only made the bright lights from on coming vehicles worse.

You should only ever drive within your limits but if you are hindering other road users so much that they are forcing for an overtake then I would consider that there may be something more wrong.

Have you had an eye test recently?

Mart

[Timberwolf]

I had this same issue and asked for advice. To distil the best of that advice:

• Firstly, check the alignment of your own headlights and make sure the height adjustment (if fitted) is set correctly for the load. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

• You have a natural tendency to stare at the bright lights, and a natural tendency to steer towards where you're looking. Make a deliberate effort to look at the road ahead and not at the lights; sometimes focusing on the white line at the edge of the road can help.

• Make sure your dashboard lights are turned down as low as they'll go while still being easy to read. If you have satellite navigation, set it to 'night mode'.

[8Ace]

Thanks for the quick reply. My headlights are fine - the car is only 3 years and projects the light forward well. They're also adjustable for levelling and I make sure they're set correctly when dipped.

My eyes seem fine too - I've never worn or needed glasses. Thinking about it further, and given I drive an MX5, perhaps the lower driving position exposes me to more of the light from oncoming drivers. 4x4s particularly.

The roads on which I particularly have this problems are ones with trees / high hedges lining the carriageway. There is little clear line of sight round the majority of corners even in the light so it's hard to judge the severity of the bends etc. I do look towards the nearside curb but feel I coul dso easily miss something hazardous. Perhaps I'm being overcautious and further tuition would help.

Dashboad lights are not something I'd comsidered - thank you for this and ther other suggestions.

I definitely feel it's worth getting more info on this, and do intend to join the IAM. I just thought I'd drop this into the PH pot and give it a bit of a stir.

Regarding the overtake: it was 4 be-baseballed capped lads in a tired 106 thet went past at WOT, about 7k RPM and on a bend so I'm not convinced the same overtake would be carried out by a more experienced driver. I was at 40mph by the way.

Edited by 8Ace on Wednesday 5th December 15:54

[waremark]

Perhaps what you are seeing is that lots of other people drive too fast at night? Of course you should always be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear - and that means being able to see well enough to spot the drunk in a dark raincoat.

The problem only arises in an unlit area with traffic towards. Specific suggestions are to take every short opportunity to use main beam (even if you have to dip very soon you will have more knowledge of the road ahead), to slow down in readiness when you anticipate having to change from main to dip, and to take in as much information as possible before the car towards you gets close.

Lights vary significantly and I expect that you are correct that in a low car you are hit two ways - your lights do not penetrate as far, and you are more prone to dazzle from the lights of cars towards you.

[Gromit37]

I sympathise. It is a serious problem for many people, although I bet many won't admit it. The human eye has serious limitations at night, and this is not something that ego alone can overcome It's the same as people doing 70mph plus in thick fog, when you know full well they cannot see any further than the rest of us as we do 30mph.

So, apologies if some seem obvious, but here's a few tips.

Dark surfaces absorb light, and some fairly light coloured road surfaces become very black when wet. When wet, others just reflect light badly and hinder observation of the road markings. Possible solutions? Well, apart from making sure your lights are adjusted properly, keep the inside and outside of windows clean (to reduce the sparkling effect) and use main beam wherever possible. Even a couple of seconds on main beam will give you a clue as to what lies ahead. On RH bends you can usually use main beam for longer without blinding people. Remember... full night vision takes several minutes to reach it's full potential, but disappears instantaneously.

Use the vehicles ahead to see where they brake or move out, as it often means you'll come across the same hazard.

As suggested, don't look directly at the light source. Look slightly to one side, toward the nearside as the oncoming vehicles get close and fill your vision more. Ease off the throttle where necessary, esp if you haven't been able to use main beam for a while. This makes it difficult when there's a constant stream of oncoming traffic. Then you just have to slow down to what you feel is appropriate. Don't be pressured by others. If they want to pass, help them if you can.

Hope this helps.

Ian

[Hooli]

one tip that was missed out there
be thankfull your not on a bike. its soo much worse then with dirty visors (& no wipers etc) plus you've got one light not two so its like driving a car with a duff light all the time.

[SVS]

Hi Hooli,

A couple of thoughts for the bike ...

- Experiment with your headlight adjustment. My Ducati's headlight was set totally wrong as standard; correcting the headlight adjustment made a big difference.

- Upgrading your headlight bulb is cheap and worthwhile on the bike, e.g. Philips Motovision, X-Treme Power or Osram Nightbreaker: www.motorcycle-uk.com/acatalog/Philips_MotoVision_...

- A visor wiper that you wear on your left index finger is really handy, such as: www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=201800 . Although Held gloves come with one as standard, which works better than anything:
www.glfaccessories.com/upload/index.php?act=viewCa...

- A V2 sponge ( www.visorvision.co.uk/shop/information.php?info_id... ) is very handy, as is a pinlock type visor insert to stop your visor fogging.

Hope you go ahead with a RideDrive OCN advanced course, by the way!

Hope this helps

[8Ace]

All,

Many thanks for your input. The drive home last night, and the journey to the station this morning were noticeably smoother and more enjoyable. A few simple techniques and a marked improvement in my driving. Hugely obliged to you all.

And Hooli - I do not envy you a similar journey on two wheels. I've considered the idea of a bike for high days and holidays etc, but at this time of year the advantages of a roof, heater and Terry Wogan are hard to beat.

[Hooli]

SVS said:

Hi Hooli,

A couple of thoughts for the bike ...

- Experiment with your headlight adjustment. My Ducati's headlight was set totally wrong as standard; correcting the headlight adjustment made a big difference.

- Upgrading your headlight bulb is cheap and worthwhile on the bike, e.g. Philips Motovision, X-Treme Power or Osram Nightbreaker: www.motorcycle-uk.com/acatalog/Philips_MotoVision_...

- A visor wiper that you wear on your left index finger is really handy, such as: www.mandp.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=201800 . Although Held gloves come with one as standard, which works better than anything:
www.glfaccessories.com/upload/index.php?act=viewCa...

- A V2 sponge ( www.visorvision.co.uk/shop/information.php?info_id... ) is very handy, as is a pinlock type visor insert to stop your visor fogging.

Hope you go ahead with a RideDrive OCN advanced course, by the way!

Hope this helps

all good tips. it will be getting a better blub, when i remember to fit it. its been in the garage since before i got the bike (had two xenons i kept from a car ages ago, one went in the RF & i forgot to keep it).
alingment has been done & helped - it was so far right id been fine in france! ride in the left lane & only see the right lane for example.

8Ace said:

the advantages of Terry Wogan are hard to beat

mis-quoted for humour reasons.
i never expected to use a bike all the time when i got it. but sold the cars from lack of use & decided a newer bike instead of a winter car was the way to go a couple of months ago.

[Retard]

Something else that might be worth checking is your night vision. I have better than standard human vision during the daytime; at night I am mr. Magoo and wearing prescription glassses makes a huge difference to what I can see and massively reduces glare.

A pilot with a similar thing once tried to land his jumbo on the m4!

[charnock]

sometimes judgeing wether a corner opens or tightens and therefore what speed to aproach at in night or day can be helped a lot by looking at electricity poles or trees ect on side of road. and if there higher up they tend not to get so invisible when oncoming vehicles are obscuring things lower down.

[Flintstone]

Anyone else notice the urge to stare at oncoming lights, particularly on unlit roads?

[Pigeon]

Hooli said:

one tip that was missed out there
be thankfull your not on a bike. its soo much worse then with dirty visors (& no wipers etc) plus you've got one light not two so its like driving a car with a duff light all the time.

...and when you also wear specs, so you have to avoid them steaming up as well as the visor...

I have an open face helmet which significantly reduces the steaming up and I also have a neck warmer thing and breathing out through my mouth so the breath goes down my neck helps.

Problem is it's not a complete solution and it still happens that I am often caught up at night. The tt then sits three feet from my back wheel with the glare from his lights coming in the sides of the visor from behind and reflecting off the mirrors onto the front. So now I am almost completely blind and doing <=15mph and still the dickhead won't overtake. I take the left hand side of the lane and give a couple of flashes on the left indicator, no change, I make "back off" gestures, no change, I consider the possibility of fitting a basket to the fuel tank to carry stones in...