Nervous drivers can have anxiety about all aspects of driving. Driving at night is something which can make a lot of people nervous, including myself !!
There are many differences to driving at night compared to driving during the daytime.
- The obvious one is that it is dark !
- Visibility is reduced.
- There can be a glare off the windscreen.
- Some road users especially cyclists may not have lights
- It can be difficult to judge small gaps
- Other drivers lights may dazzle you
Some things that you can do to help are to make sure that your windscreens and mirrors are clean to reduce the glare. Also that your lights are clean. It can make a difference to how well you light up the road ahead if your headlights are dirty or clean.
The hardest driving conditions for me are; night time, on a country road and raining. I find that every aspect of driving becomes more difficult. If you’re a nervous driver then this can become even more of a problem.
Other things that may help are driving more slowly. It s something that I do to help me see the road ahead more clearly. You may also find that you may feel tired as firstly it may be late at night but also the fact it’s dark may itself may make you feel tired. Take a break if needed to help wake yourself up. Open the windows slightly to bring some fresh air into the car.
If driving at night does make you nervous try practicing night driving with a passenger who is an experienced driver. That person may be a parent or partner or possibly a driving instructor.
You’re not alone when it comes to being nervous about some aspect of driving. In fact my own father who is in his 80’s and has been a confident driver all his life, now finds night driving very difficult.