Night driving stopping distance on dipped headlights 5608

Daytona explained on 13-05-2005 :

At the risk of even more flack, I'll advise on my method of dealing with the problem of night driving and driving in poor visibility...

At every opportunity I use main beam. Irrespective of whether I know the road or not, irrespective of the type of road - if there is no one around to blind with my lights, I use main beam. Even entering and driving up my drive, I use main beam (there have been times when an unexpected car has been parked there). If I'm following another vehicle at a distance, at every opportunity when he disappears around a bend or over the brow of a hill, I switch briefly to main beam for as long as possible. I do this in order to be able to see what is ahead and to help provide adequate warning of my approach - though you have to be wary of HGV's, which you might not be able to see the lights of, but still be blinding the driver due to him sitting much higher than his lights.

Now when it comes to following other vehicles, especially at high-ish speeds on motorways or DC's etc., I try to close with them. Not excessively close, but close enough that I can make good use of the light from their dipped beams and use their driving for a shield to pick anything in the road out. If I see their brake lights come on or they were to veer as if to avoid something, then I expect to see something in the road and take suitable warning.

It would not be reasonable (nor safe) to drop your speed to the 20 or so mph that you can see to be clear of obstruction in your dipped beams, so you have to make a reasonable compromise.

I am a similar coward when it comes to driving in fog and heavy snow. Given the opportunity I will happily follow someone else if they are doing a reasonable speed for the conditions and do so at the distance where I can still just about see them - again using them to find any obstructions in the road.

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Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L)