Driving your motorhome at night

[stuartholmes]

Having tried vari-focal lenses I found them very confusing in moving my eyes to focus rather than moving my head, and this despite extensive measurements taken to find the optimal points of various focal lengths.
The worst was trying to glance sideways to see into door mirrors on both sides or rear view mirror without moving my head as I found if I was not in the exact spot, there was a delay in being able to clearly focus, which when traveling at speeds or unfamiliar areas I found dangerous.
I returned the glasses and reverted to standard single distance lenses, at no cost to exchange.
For myself personally, I do not like vari-focal lenses unless they have changed enormously in the last 5 years.

Share that experience. Opticians tell me varifocals are x amount better than whenever in the past but their drawbacks remain, to the extent that I consider them dangerous for driving & should prob be banned when driving.

 

[ronboyracer]

When chatting to the Doctor who completes the forms for a C1 extension on a driving licence, I was told that quite a few applicants do not meet the required eyesight standards. Perhaps regular eyesight tests should be mandatory in drivers over a certain age?

Night time driving can be quite testing for all drivers , due to , todays modern headlights , as I've already mentioned my cataracts have been done massive improvements , driving in my motorhome at night being sat higher up , being dazzled isn't as bad as driving my mx5 , although the extra width of my panel van motorhome , is more difficult to negotiate , the worst recipe for disaster , is narrow roads , normally quiet , used heavily in the rush hour , headlight after headlight , dazzling oncoming traffic , more often than not , the odd juggernaut lit up like the Christmas Coca-Cola vehicle , decreasing the width of the road and throw in the odd bend , solution , slow down , try not to look directly into the glare , concentrate on seeing
the near side , not pleasant driving. Ronboyracer.

 

[The Wino]

I've been cleaning with a dab of soap under running water for years but recommend foaming hand soap rather that washing up liquid. Will do the cleaning just as perfectly but rinse off far more easily & no risk of upsetting the coatings.

I don't think the risk is that great but I do tend to use whatever I'm near although if there's a lot of moisturiser it can smear. I've never had a coating degrade. Zeiss coatings were terrible for degradation in the 1990,s they blamed all sorts of things usually the people using them but they were just unreliable. I suspect a lot of them don't react well to thermal shock if they get hot or cold quickly

 

[The Wino]

Share that experience. Opticians tell me varifocals are x amount better than whenever in the past but their drawbacks remain, to the extent that I consider them dangerous for driving & should prob be banned when driving.

It depends how well people adapt to them. I struggled with my first pair tried a different design and make and they've been fine since for everything including flying. I suspect that 80% at least of over 55,s wear them the accident stats don't seem to support your view.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

I suspect that 80% at least of over 55,s wear them the accident stats don't seem to support your view.

So there is actual statistical analysis of how many people over a certain age , who drive and wear varifocal lenses , and who have had a motor accident whilst wearing such lenses, is there?
I realise that you have previously had involvement in the optical industry, but from what I have experienced over the years, as a person on the other side of the optometrists desk, having lenses is not a 'one size fits all'.
What's good for one ain't neccisarily good for someone else.

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[tonyidle]

I think that tanks have a similar stabilisation for the gun but the problem is is the lights depress when going uphill they will reduce the illuminated area.

As opposed to lighting the sky and oncoming traffic?

 

[tonyidle]

Share that experience. Opticians tell me varifocals are x amount better than whenever in the past but their drawbacks remain, to the extent that I consider them dangerous for driving & should prob be banned when driving.

I tend to agree.

 

[The Wino]

So there is actual statistical analysis of how many people over a certain age , who drive and wear varifocal lenses , and who have had a motor accident whilst wearing such lenses, is there?
I realise that you have previously had involvement in the optical industry, but from what I have experienced over the years, as a person on the other side of the optometrists desk, having lenses is not a 'one size fits all'.
What's good for one ain't neccisarily good for someone else.

It's certainly true that not everyone gets on with varifocals. But some not get on with them is a far cry from they aren't safe for anyone . I reckon the non tolerance rate was about 2%. A lot depends on how people are advised before they get them if they're expecting to see anything at any distance through any part of the lens they're going to be pretty disappointed varifocals are compromise lenses . Some lenses now are custom generated after doing a questionnaire on how important tasks at different distances are to the punter it strikes me as a bit of a waste of time quite often as most people say they want more of everything!

 

[The Wino]

As opposed to lighting the sky and oncoming traffic?

They won't apart from on the crest as when they're on a steady incline they will light the same area of road ahead as on the flat. You could design an automatic dip depending on the change it the road ahead judged by the ahead radar sensor used for collision avoidance but just doing it on the inclination of the surface wouldn't work (at least that's the way it seems to me!)

 

[Tonks]

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

Driving home on Saturday night along a dark road with cars parked along one side I saw - totally by luck - the cyclist ahead of me without any lights on his bike, dressed entirely in dark clothes, and riding 'casually' one handed. The only reason I saw him, even though I was on a stretch of road with street lights, was that his offside pedal had a reflector in it which momentarily caught my headlight. I could VERY easily have just ploughed into him without ever knowing he was there until the BANG. And I was in the car, which has excellent lights. If I'd been in the van as planned I may not have seen him in time, as VW vans have some of the worst standard lights in any vehicle IMHO, and even with uprated lights AND bulbs they're still not very good.
Cyclists and scooter riders with ZERO sense of self preservation but 100% sense of self-entitlement upset my blood pressure.

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[Richard J]

I suspect a lot of drivers have suboptimal eyesight; cataracts have been discussed adequately, but even a slight myopia (short-sightedness) that would not be apparent in good light will lead to deteriorated vision in the dark due to the pupil dilating and loss of the pinhole effect that can compensate in bright light.
But a factor that has not been mentioned so far is the simple fact that our brains simply don't work as well as we get older and they struggle to process the rapidly changing and and subtle information hidden in the noisy signal of night vision. This means that the required awareness of the unfolding situation lags further and further behind, to the point at which we can no longer react in time. This will be apparent long before any significant cognitive deficit would be noticed by an individual or their family.

 

[seasideBill]

Anybody here suffer with ‘floaters’, and I”m not looking to start another toilet thread!
I’ve had them for 20 or more years, little bits of collagen that break off and float about in the back of your eye in your field of vision. Optician has always dismissed them as inevitable with ageing, but more recently I reckon they affect my vision, particularly night vision.

 

[Crazylegs]

Anybody here suffer with ‘floaters’, and I”m not looking to start another toilet thread!
I’ve had them for 20 or more years, little bits of collagen that break off and float about in the back of your eye in your field of vision. Optician has always dismissed them as inevitable with ageing, but more recently I reckon they affect my vision, particularly night vision.

Get an eyesight examination, increased floaters can be a sign of retinal tears.

 

[seasideBill]

Get an eyesight examination, increased floaters can be a sign of retinal tears.

Yes, I had a new one (quite big) about 18 months ago and had it checked out as an emergency case for potential retinal detachment. Happily just another floater.
Fortunately over time the brain seems to get used to them and cancels them out.

 

[swemmy666]

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

I have these, and you can get a pair that fits over normal specs, from the Bloomoak store on Amazon. Thye help with glare, but no panacea. I find the glare takes away my ability to see the near side curb with confidence, so ok on motorways where I have the off side lines, but more difficult on smaller twisty roads with oncoming traffic, and thats in an A3.....

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[Gerry77]

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.

I didn’t like driving at night but having had both cataracts removed I find it generally manageable.

 

[Puddleduck]

Dusk and dawn are the worst times to travel

 

[seasideBill]

I have these, and you can get a pair that fits over normal specs, from the Bloomoak store on Amazon. Thye help with glare, but no panacea. I find the glare takes away my ability to see the near side curb with confidence, so ok on motorways where I have the off side lines, but more difficult on smaller twisty roads with oncoming traffic, and thats in an A3.....

Yes, have also tried those yellow night driving glasses without much improvement. I don’t need glasses for distance, but I do for reading. However, my optician gave me a prescription for distance glasses based on reading and, at night they do make a difference. I can’t wear them all day without feeling odd, but ok just for night driving. He told me the main problem on otherwise healthy eyes is a slackening of the muscles that focus your sight. At night they can’t respond quickly enough to rapid changes in light levels e.g. bright lights on approaching traffic. All part of the ageing process!

 

[The Wino]

Yes, have also tried those yellow night driving glasses without much improvement. I don’t need glasses for distance, but I do for reading. However, my optician gave me a prescription for distance glasses based on reading and, at night they do make a difference. I can’t wear them all day without feeling odd, but ok just for night driving. He told me the main problem on otherwise healthy eyes is a slackening of the muscles that focus your sight. At night they can’t respond quickly enough to rapid changes in light levels e.g. bright lights on approaching traffic. All part of the ageing process!

Either you misunderstood the optician or they need some lessons on explaining things better!

 

[gus-lopez]

Here where I live in Spain if you see someone ,man or woman ,60+ years of age coming towards you & not wearing glasses you can guarantee they have no vision over 10m. Frightening. add in to that the fact that you cannot actually see them in the vehicle until you are on top of them as the windscreen is covered in dust but they do not even know it is dirty. Even worse is if they are driving a 'microcar sin carnet'. That just means they are blind & have no driving licence nor any perception of road laws.

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[fat haggis]

This reminds me of the billy Connolly proscription windscreen joke

Link.

 

[swemmy666]

This reminds me of the billy Connolly proscription windscreen joke

Link.

Funny, I thought that earlier and U tubed it too. Been a long while buts its aged like a fine wine

 

[iandsm]

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

I used to like driving in the dark but now it's more challenging as It's far harder t spot the potholes. At the moment we are in Sussex having toured through Kent. Tree branches sticking out at the roadside have set me up for a new wing mirror and some of the potholes are horrendous and look like the have never been repaired. Some have white paint markings which I suppose is to indicate to the repair teams which ones to repair, of course it could be just a warning to miss them. We have take na vow never to return to these areas. I thought Suffolk and Norfolk were bad but this makes them look like a billiard table.

 

[Reallyretired]

I used to dislike driving at night because of glare but since having my cataracts done it's now no problem. As you get older your lenses do start to get a bit cloudy and scatter bright light. Probably most people of 65 plus have some degree of cataract.

 

[Mleabon]

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!

Yes my optician said that. Make everything clean including of course your glasses so that the light doesn't get scattered which causes the issue. He also said floaters have the same effect but nothing can be done about that.

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[seasideBill]

Either you misunderstood the optician or they need some lessons on explaining things better!

Straightforward really… in poorer light conditions distance vision can deteriorate. What may be adequate vision by day may no longer be adequate. However, it may be improved by distance lenses not normally required and used specifically to aid night driving.

 

[The Wino]

Straightforward really… in poorer light conditions distance vision can deteriorate. What may be adequate vision by day may no longer be adequate. However, it may be improved by distance lenses not normally required and used specifically to aid night driving.

You won't become more long or short sighted at night! If you're out of focus at night then you're out of focus in the daytime it will be more noticeable at night as your pupils dilate though.
You can't " prescribe distance glasses based on reading" and it's a loss of elasticity in the lens that causes a reduction in focussing as you age not muscular weakness.
There is a reduction in dark adaptation as you age but again not due to muscular weakness.

 

[Dolmen]

Straightforward really… in poorer light conditions distance vision can deteriorate. What may be adequate vision by day may no longer be adequate. However, it may be improved by distance lenses not normally required and used specifically to aid night driving.

I have the same issue, do not require glasses for distance during daylight, as the light deteriorates distance lenses make a big improvement

 

[Paulypaul]

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.

Oh, it's you then is it? My pet hate that is. Mind you, most cars look like they've got their main beam on to me.
I bought some of those cheap yellow tinted night driving glasses.......they bloody work! Some are even big enough to over the top of spectacles so they're worth a go. Even main beamers won't cause a swerve when you're wearing those.
You do look a bit of a plum wearing them but who cares ey?

 

[seasideBill]

You won't become more long or short sighted at night! If you're out of focus at night then you're out of focus in the daytime it will be more noticeable at night as your pupils dilate though.
You can't " prescribe distance glasses based on reading" and it's a loss of elasticity in the lens that causes a reduction in focussing as you age not muscular weakness.
There is a reduction in dark adaptation as you age but again not due to muscular weakness.

I agree, the lens hardens and that can reduce ability to focus on objects. However, muscles that control pupil size do weaken with age and it takes longer to adjust to changing levels of light, so muscular weakness does play a role. We probably need to stop now.

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