9 Tips For Driving at Night

Navigating The Road After Dark

There are many reasons why Ontarians drive: to get to work, to drop kids off at school, to see family, to run errands, or just for pleasure. But certain driving conditions are less ideal than others, and driving at night is one of them. Whether it’s down the road to the grocery store to get milk or down a highway as part of a cross-country road trip, you must be more careful when driving at night. 

At Morison Insurance, we want you to get to your destination safely, no matter the time of day—or night. As Ontario car insurance experts, we know the hazards associated with night driving, and that’s why we’re sharing these tips for driving at night to help ensure that whether it’s a five-minute drive or an overnight drive, you can drive safely while driving at night. 

What’s So Different About Driving At Night? 

When it’s a clear, sunny day outside, you are driving in optimal daylight conditions, but it’s another story at night. Driving at night, whether it’s down a street in your community or on an Ontario highway, means you are driving at a time when there’s reduced visibility, you have lower depth perception and peripheral vision, and you may not be as alert driving on the road at night as you would be when day driving. Therefore, before getting behind the wheel, you should take several extra precautions when driving at night to ensure you can get to your destination safely. 

9 Tips For Driving At Night

1. Dim Your Dashboard and Interior Lights

Growing up, if your parents told you that you could get into trouble by switching on that overhead light in the family vehicle at night, you aren’t the only one. But there is a reason they told you not to do this while they were driving at night. Any bright lights in the vehicle can cause glare on the windows and windshield during low-light conditions, preventing you from seeing clearly outside the vehicle. As there’s already reduced visibility at night, you want to ensure that your field of vision is unobstructed from any interior glare from dash lights and other sources. 

While most modern vehicles have sensors that automatically dim lights on the console or dashboard, when night driving, make sure that any interior lights that need to be on while you are driving at night are sufficiently dimmed. 

2. Clean Your Dirty Windshield 

Because your field of vision is reduced at night, ensuring you have a clean and clear windshield is a standard night driving tip. This ensures that you can see easily out of your car and that there are no unnecessary obstructions blocking your view. Whether it’s large bug splatter during the summer or snow during the winter, having a clean windshield while driving at night can make a difference in getting home safely. 

3. Slow Down 

No matter how good your vision is, you can only see so far with your headlights when you’re driving at night. If you are going too fast, your field of vision may be shorter than your stopping distance, which can have disastrous consequences if you need to stop suddenly but don’t have a fast enough reaction time. Some tips for driving at night are to slow down, plan for extra drive time and don’t speed to give yourself the best possible chance at avoiding a collision and reaching your destination safely. 

4. Watch for Animals and Other Hazards 

While no one wants to encounter fauna on the road, animals don’t always steer clear. During the day, due to increased traffic, many animals avoid roadways. But at night, fewer cars are on the road, so those same animals may approach the roads and create potential hazards. Additionally, some animals are more active at night, so it’s important to watch out for animals on the side of or on the road while driving at night. Remember that some animals, such as deer, may freeze on the road, while others, such as moose, may continue ambling on, so be sure to practice defensive driving to avoid collisions. 

In addition to watching for animals, you should also watch for other drivers or hazards, such as pedestrians or road obstructions, while driving at night. Make sure to also give other cars on the road some extra space to give you time to react should they do something unwise. 

5. Check Your Lights 

When it’s dark out, your headlights’ low and high beams are crucial to ensuring a safe journey when driving at night. However, while high-beam headlights may allow for better night driving on highways or less populated areas like rural roads, if you’re approaching another vehicle, dim them as they pass to ensure your oncoming headlights don’t blind another driver. Additionally, your regular headlights should suffice in well-lit areas such as city streets, as alternative light sources usually provide adequate lighting. 

As bright headlights are a crucial part of safe night driving, make sure you take care of them as part of your regular vehicle maintenance. This includes keeping brake lights, tail lights, and headlights clean, changing the bulbs, and realigning them as needed. Your vehicle owner’s manual can aid you in maintaining them, but if there are tasks you are unable to do, speak to your mechanic about maintaining your vehicle’s headlights. 

6. Avoid Driving When Tired 

Driving, even in the best conditions, is an activity that requires you to be focused on the task at hand. Even a minor moment of distraction can have disastrous consequences. But when driving at night, your complete focus needs to be on the road, and when you’re close to nodding off, you can end up in a ditch or worse. So, before getting behind the wheel, a good tip for driving at night is to ensure you are well-rested and alert to avoid fatigue-related handicaps such as blurry vision, eye strain, or lack of alertness associated with night driving and drowsy driving crashes. 

7. Adjust to Poor Road or Weather Conditions 

When the weather conditions are less than ideal outside, staying off the roads is often better, but sometimes, you need to get somewhere. So whether you’re driving at night or during the daytime, adjust your driving to accommodate bad weather, poor visibility, and road conditions. This may include carefully planning your route, paying attention to weather forecasts, driving more slowly than usual, using fog lights, not having electronics playing to distract you, scheduling extra time to get to your destination, packing and carrying an emergency kit in case you get stranded, and other precautions to ensure safe night driving in less than ideal conditions. 

8. Take Breaks While Driving 

This tip for driving at night is especially true when driving long distances. Because you’re concentrating hard on the road and your surroundings while driving at night, you can start to feel tired after a certain amount of time, leaving you more vulnerable to making mistakes. If you start to feel tired while night driving and can do so, pull over and take a break. Whether it’s on a side road with little traffic, at a local gas station, or a parking lot, every couple of hours you should pull over, park, and give yourself a break from constantly driving. If it’s safe to do so, consider getting out of the car and stretching. By taking a break, you are letting yourself relax from the constant vigilance you need to maintain while driving so that you can be more alert and focused on the task at hand when you resume night driving. 

9. Get your Vision Tested 

Good vision is important for any driver, especially if you do a lot of long-distance driving or driving at night. Vision issues will negatively impact your ability to spot and address any obstacles on the road, so get regular eye exams and ensure any corrective lenses are up-to-date to ensure safe night driving. 

Drive Safe At Night!

No matter what time it is or how long your journey is, by following these tips for driving at night by your trusted insurance broker at Morison Insurance, you can count on arriving at your final destination safely. As your auto insurance providers, we know the hazards Ontario drivers can face, so whether you’re travelling from Thunder Bay to Toronto or heading home after a long day at work, ensure you get home safely by practicing safe driving at night.