Driving Tips To Help With Driving At Night

Night driving brings new elements to the driving experience. This is a big reason why new drivers are required to complete a certain number of hours practicing driving at night. We want everyone to stay safe on the road, so we are sharing some driving tips for those nighttime drivers.

Night Driving Risks and Statistics

When driving at night, drivers face the risk of reduced visibility. Because of that, drivers have less time to see and react to upcoming curves, road signs, someone crossing the street, or a car swerving into the driver's lane. From Teen Driver Source, here are some night driving statistics to consider:

• In 2019, most teenage motor vehicle crash deaths happened from 9 pm - midnight (18%). Right behind it were crashes between 6 pm - 9 pm (15%) and between 3 pm - 6 pm (15%).
• 55% of drivers and passengers killed in motor vehicle crashes at night in 2019 were not wearing a seat belt.

Nighttime Driving Tips

If you find yourself driving at night, we have some driving tips and simple adjustments you can make to your vehicle and behaviors to help keep you safe.

• Drive slower to give yourself more time to react
• Adjust the dashboard lights. They should be visible enough to use in the dark, but not so bright that they are distracting you.
• Be sure your headlights are adjusted correctly
• Do not look directly into oncoming headlights
• To increase their effectiveness, clean your headlights
• Clean your windshield and keep it free from streaks
• If you are supposed to wear glasses, make sure you are actually wearing them. To help out, having a pair of anti-reflective glasses would be beneficial in helping to decrease the problems that may arise from dashboard lights and oncoming headlights.
• Focus on the road and limit your distractions, which include not touching your phone, not eating or drinking, or engaging with passengers in the back seat.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.