Driving your motorhome at night

Derbyshire wanderer said:
that I believe is due to eyesight difficulties.
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Here where I live in spain if you see an old bloke driving without glasses you can guarantee that he can see no more than 2m. They should all be shot through the side window. Then shot again from the other side as the blind ****ers do not even realise that the front screen has so much dust/dirt on it that if they cleaned it they would be able to see 3m.
The above does not apply to the women as they actually wear glasses & can see.there problem is they are short & looking between the underside of the steering wheel & the top of the dash binnacle. In fact in many cases from side on it appears no one is in the driving seat.
 
Hi.
Like driving at night, plus side... Less traffic and you can crunch more miles/km's.. The trick i found with oncoming lights,don't let your eyes be drawn into looking into them,that makes your eyes sore. However...... Jennifer has to Nod off first.. :ROFLMAO: (y)🚛 . In the morning....Jennifer. " Where are we ? " ( Me under breath,very quietly. " Ahead of schedule,didn't want to wake you by stopping " ) There is a nice site/aire just along here.
Tea Bag
 
For 12 straight years I worked nights driving my lorry and loved it. That came to an end 20 years ago, but had no issues driving to and from work in the dark since then. Then 2 years ago I retired and rarely had to drive in the dark. Now I'm lacking confidence and increasingly avoid driving in the dark when I don't have to. :frowny:
I have been given a tip to make sure that my windscreen is spotless and it will make a huge difference (y)
 
I’ve only got one functional eye and that needs glasses to help so night driving is something I avoid as much as possible ,our first time in France of the ferry which had been delayed so arrived after dark was a real treat for me (not).

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I’m another member who doesn’t enjoy night driving on roads other than motorways. This is because of the glare from oncoming lights, and It’s especially bad on wet roads. However I’m happy to drive the motorways at night when heading down to the Tunnel for an early morning crossing to France!!
 
Odd job said:
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.
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I was in the same boat so went and had my eyes tested and had 2 pairs of varifocals supplied, one pair biased towards using screens and the other specifically for driving with some kind of mild anti-glare tint applied. They’ve made a big difference to oncoming vehicle lights.
 
Jim, fess up! How did you break Sian’s leg? If you deserve a slap, Rona says she will hold you. Hope you are recovering well Sian. Put your feet up over Christmas and let Jim run around.
Bernie & Rona xx
 
There are night driving glasses available, my has a pair as she can't stand the glare. I tried them, they turn the oncoming lights to a yellow glow. There OK, but if you are already wearing specs it would be a problem. Additionally, I noted when there was no traffic oncoming the glasses dimmed your view of the road ahead. Nice for passengers though, and might help them stay awake 🤣🤣.
Mike
 
Wasn’t until I looked at this thread that I’ve stopped to think about it! 🤷‍♂️

Not bothered either way really. Drive when I need to. 👍🏻

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gus-lopez said:
In fact in many cases from side on it appears no one is in the driving seat.
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You talking about my 4'10" wife, Cheaky sod. :giggle:
Carpmart said:
Wasn’t until I looked at this thread that I’ve stopped to think about it! 🤷‍♂️

Not bothered either way really. Drive when I need to. 👍🏻
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But you are a youngster Harvey
 
On the vision side of things.
Good advice to have regular eye tests the big problem as people get older is usually cataracts that develop in everyone to some degree as people age. They have a similar effect to driving with a slightly misted up windscreen as they scatter some of the light entering the eye and reduce contrast.
You can get coated lenses it's usually an anti-reflection coating ( often incorrectly described as anti glare it's not!). The coating cuts down on reflection at the spectacle lens surfaces so you lose less light in reflection and more reaches the retina they are a benefit not a miracle cure.
You should not wear a tint to drive at night it will reduce the brightness of oncoming headlights but also reduce the amount of light reaching your eye when that pedestrian dressed in dark clothes steps out into the road.
After a cataract operation people often realise how much they have been struggling but a private " extended range" implant will probably give worse night vision than an nhs implant aimed at best distance as the compromise is losing some distance area on the implant for near.
Post laser surgery night vision is often compromised the main reason is that the treated area is very small and as the pupils dilate at night you end up looking through an in focus image with a superimposed blur. Unfortunately as you age and need a cataract operation the unusual corneal shape means there's a bigger chance of a refractive surprise ( left out of focus) and often still some reduced night vision possibly worse.
So to sum up most people can't run as fast when they're retired as when they were 20 and most people don't have as good night vision either. Neither are a surprise! Its sensible to do all the things in Jims article ( clean screen, best glasses possible, plan the route, try not to look at other headlight directly etc) but at the end of the day it's a normal deterioration. People bothered a lot by glare need to decide if they want to carry on driving at night it's a personal decision. Some may decide to have an earlier cataract op privately due to glare when their vision is too good for an NHS operation but any operation is twist or stick if it goes wrong there's no going back.
 
Lenny HB said:
A lot of the problem is that once you get to your 70's most people have cateracts starting to form and that what causes approaching headlights to dazzle you.
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Most people have some sign way before that

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When I was truck driving for a living (such as it was) I did night trunk for around 18 months..not my preferred shift but hey it was a job..didn't really bother me..but when you work it out in Spring/Summer..it's light around 4am til maybe 9pm..Winter dark at 4.30 pm not light til well after 8am..so even as a day driver..you were starting at 5 or 6am..and finishing at 8 or 9pm..so half of your shift was driving in the dark anyways..it's when you got to having The Thousand Yard Stare..it was time to stop...
 
For years, our preferred time to drive North has been at night. We usually leave Wiltshire about 9-10 and drive to Lancaster services. Get a few hours kip in the MH/caravan parking by the Premier Inn, and set off fresh in the morning. We've had occasions when we've been diverted through Birmingham.

The thing I hate now are the temporary metal barriers for roadworks. They are usually grey and covered in road dirt and I find it very difficult to judge where the road ends and the barriers begin, as I've got older.
.
 
Millcourt said:
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. (y)

Perhaps it may be a good idea for some Funsters to visit their Optician? :unsure:
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I have a cataract developing in my right eye and, as you say, that affects night vision.

In daylight, wearing corrective lenses, I manage 20/20 vision. At night headlight glare makes it difficult to see, particularly when driving my Ducato based motorhome where the candle flame flickers within the headlight Unit. How could FIAT ever imagine that those headlights are bright enough to penetrate more than about 20 metres of darkness?

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I was just thinking about this tonight when driving my car. I had lens replacement surgery 8 years ago. Every year I have a check up and am told that I have 20/20 vision. No need for glasses. The headlights on my car, and the MH are superb and I can see great in the dark intil vehicles are coming towards me. The vehicles that don't seem to cause me grief are those with old, duller, headlights. I am wondering if these super headlights the majority of vehicles now have is creating a new problem? I also agree with post #7 about the amount of reflection in the cab of an A-Class. It is probably the biggest difference, in beth daytime and nighttime driving, that I am aware of since recently changing from a coachbuilt MH.
Now, I do prefer to be parked up in the MH before dark.
Safe and happy travels all.
 
maison said:
Ducato based motorhome where the candle flame flickers within the headlight Unit. How could FIAT ever imagine that those headlights are bright enough to penetrate more than about 20 metres of darkness?
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Standard Ducato headlamps are Brillant a great bright light compared to Hella projector units fitted in A Class vans.
 
Many years ago I said to Janie early start in the morning 🙄 4 o'clock, she said I'm not getting up ............ within 15 minutes after setting off she was sitting in the passenger seat in her pyjamas. 🤬😁

I've not bothered since, if we need to be somewhere early we have a 🐢 journey and get there the night before. 😎 Bob.
 
In the 70's and 80's I used to really look forward to our 290 miles ten/eleven hours summer holiday overnight drive from Brighton to Cornwall, all cosy in an 850c.c. Mini. It was a real adventure with Thermos and sandwiches; no motorway, hardly any dual carriageway, one dog and two kids laying head to toe asleep across luggage arranged as a bed in the back, boot filled with clothes, roof rack packed high with camping gear and beach stuff. 😍

I never enjoy night driving now and my pet hates are the intense blue headlights and the dimwits who don't dip until they've come round a bend or over a brow and given me a full-face blinding with their headlights even though my approach was obvious from seeing the overspill of my dipped lights lighting up the trees or other roadside features well in advance of my vehicle being in their direct line of sight. Fortunately, being retired I rarely have to drive at night now.

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I really do prefer to drive the motorhome at night as I can go as quick or slow as I like, ref the sight loss when older I'm OK thanks (only 41) so haven't gone that blind yet 😛

Well I did have laser eye surgery 10 years ago as I couldn't see my hand at the end of my arm 🤣 before that
 
BouncyBoatFolk said:
There are night driving glasses available, my has a pair as she can't stand the glare. I tried them, they turn the oncoming lights to a yellow glow. There OK, but if you are already wearing specs it would be a problem. Additionally, I noted when there was no traffic oncoming the glasses dimmed your view of the road ahead. Nice for passengers though, and might help them stay awake 🤣🤣.
Mike
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Suffer with all the problems listed above, I would go as far as saying I don’t feel safe, so avoid it like the plague. A friend recommended those (yellow) night driving glasses, but didn’t work for me. Just like wearing sun glasses in the dark!
 
Didnt used to mind driving in the dark. Dont like it now (in 70s). Didnt mind as much when in Gtr Manchester because street lights were everywhere, never needed full beam. Been in Lincolnshire for 8 years now, still cant get used to needing full beam! I dont like country roads, & that includes lots of A roads in Lincs!. Glare of other people's lights, more difficulty judging distances, potholes, huge puddles. Motorways without road works are fine, but the A1 may be a dual carriageway, but not lit for much of it locally and cars come out of side turnings etc or you suddenly find a slow lorry up a hill with very poor lights. Short distances are copeable with, but wouldnt want to do long distances unless really had to.
 
Other vehicles' brighter high tech headlights often misaligned makes night driving more of a chore
I don't think it's all to do with our age or deteriorating eyesight.

ge GIF
 
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