Driving your motorhome at night

[Jim]

I used to prefer to travel at night, but these days I find it more difficult. How about you? Do you like night driving. Do you have any tips, tricks or advice I could add to this article? Cheers

Driving Your Motorhome At Night

Explore the challenges and best practices of night driving, from personal anecdotes to vital safety tips, in this enlightening blog post

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Lenny HB]

When was younger could never understand older people when said they didn't like driving in the dark.

Now I know why, hate it now, also if I was to drive overnight I would be knacked for 2 to 3 days after.

 

[Abgs]

Used to love driving the Sprinter Van PVC with its excellent LED headlights but the Carthago, with it's one candle power headlights is somewhat more challenging ...

 

[David and Sally]

No. Hate it. As you get older your tolerance to the bright lights and darkness gets less. Very tiring.

 

[Two on Tour]

I find that as I get older my eye do not like the glare from oncoming headlight.

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[charliesgrandad]

I had the same opinion as LennyHB when I was young but now I don't even enjoy driving the car in the dark nevermind a big motorhome

 

[WESTY66]

Thing I find troublesome about night driving is the amount of reflections in all the cab glass (A Class) everywhere you look there’s a reflection in the window of something inside

Or is it just me

 

[brynric]

It used to be our preferred time to travel distances. In our caravan days pack the sleepy kids in pyjamas into the back seat for a leisurely night-time drive. On to motorhomes; set off about 10:00pm, early morning shuttle, Cite Europe aire for a few hours sleep then ready for the French motorways with a good day before us.
Now if our pm shuttle is delayed and I've got to drive for a while in the dark I find it a real nuisance. Someone said to me the. other day, "headlights seem brighter than when I was younger," and of course they are. LEDs are so much brighter and eyes are so much older.

 

[Mikey RV]

Hate driving at night, even dusk. The lights play tricks with my eyes. It seems modern car lights are so bright or my eyes are so old. Years ago I would leave the pub and drive 200 miles in the night for a surf trip so I could get in the surf at first light.

 

[Nirvanauk]

I hate driving at night and wife won't let me so we never venture out in the dark. I"m ok if I can keep the main beam on but she tells me off if another car is coming towards us.

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[Millcourt]

I enjoy driving at night.

I had started to find it really difficult with the glare and flare from oncoming headlights….. made worse by folk whose own eyesight is not what it used to be and who think fitting brighter lights, made even worse with incorrect dip patterns, is the answer to their problem.

It is now just over 12 months since I had my cataracts removed and good quality (not on the NHS) extended range lenses implanted. I now no longer need to wear glasses (which I have had to do for short-sightedness since the age of 10) and I am happy to drive at night once again.

Perhaps it may be a good idea for some Funsters to visit their Optician?

 

[Clivefog]

Clean screen and glasses if worn helps a lot. Driven many dark miles in the motorhome, not so many in my car as it is at eye level with laser beams from oncoming cars!

 

[The Old Man]

I only drive in the UK.

Car driving at night, usually around Cardiff terrifies me!!!!!

Electric bikes and scooters with no lights, no sense and no obedience of road rules scares me shitless.

At night in the van normally means motorway trips and I can relax more.

But overall I do not like driving at night.

 

[ceejayt]

Definite theme of not night driving in this thread. Could not agree more Also cannot drive for the same length of time as I used to. Just older but wiser I guess

 

[Howard B]

Same as above, i used to do a lot of driving at night, but try & avoid if possible now. I do have a pair of weak glasses which have filters to cut out glare that does help.
The state of the roads doesn't help either, many of which gave knackered cats eyes and worn out paint.

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[Gromett]

When I was in my 30s I preferred driving at night as there was less traffic. I would do all my "by choice" driving at night.
In my 40s I became less keen and pretty much drove when I needed to.

Now I actively avoid driving as soon as it starts getting dark. I can do it, I just hate it.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

When I use to rebuild railway bridges a lot of my driving was 1-2am ideal for getting around as it’s very quiet , had laser procedure on my eyes years ago and that has made them very sensitive to headlight now

The other thing is why are these twats driving around with fog lights on when there is no fog bit bright some of them lights

 

[Steve N Tracy]

I don't mind driving at night, but hate dusk when it's too light for the lights to light the way and too dark to drive without them.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Only drive at night when I have to.

Try to arrive at ferries and the destination in daylight.

Sounds so obvious but all you see at night is other (annoying) vehicle lights...

 

[Gromett]

I used to prefer to travel at night, but these days I find it more difficult. How about you? Do you like night driving. Do you have any tips, tricks or advice I could add to this article? Cheers

Driving Your Motorhome At Night

Explore the challenges and best practices of night driving, from personal anecdotes to vital safety tips, in this enlightening blog post

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Just read it. I notice that you don't mention it was your fault she broke her leg.

Also in the list in the 2nd half you miss out keeping the washer wiper bottle full and ensuring your wipers are up to snuff. You do mention this earlier in the article but don't have it in the list. I find this to be a very important one personally. I HATE dirty windscreens at the best of times. But at night it would be critical to me.

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[Chris]

I hate driving in the dark now, even in the car.

With the glare I just can’t judge distances like I used to.

 

[Beacons]

The glare of the headlights when just driving the car puts me off and that's just local on country roads its definitely a age thing

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

I am not entirely convinced that it’s an age problem as I have noticed since the clocks changed that many commuters seem quite erratic with both braking and steering that I believe is due to eyesight difficulties.

 

[Guigsy]

When I use to rebuild railway bridges a lot of my driving was 1-2am ideal for getting around as it’s very quiet , had laser procedure on my eyes years ago and that has made them very sensitive to headlight now

Laser eye surgery is great... except at night. The way they reshape your cornea means it catches side glare much more easily. So headlights can dazzle very easily. The "don't look directly at their beams" trick no longer works.

 

[97243]

Hated driving in the dark when I was young and still do.

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[dna]

Im happy driving on motorways / dual carriageways in the dark but really don't like narrow twisty roads in the areas I like to stay. Spotting rocks etc at the side of narrow roads when passing opposing traffic is not fun.

 

[gus-lopez]

I enjoy driving at night.

So do I.

 

[f6c]

Bright headlight coming towards me is a No No for me now.

 

[Odd job]

Having driven in the dark for many years when working it doesn't worry me but it's not as easy as it used to be, I don't know if it's my eye getting worse or because I don't do much night driving these days.

 

[The general]

At night in the van normally means motorway trips and I can relax more.

Relax ? Motorways shut overnite gives you long detours thru towns and villages are horrendous

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