It goes without saying that driving at night is riskier. However, there are ways you can mitigate those risks and stay safe even if you drive at night often.
To prepare this guide, our editorial team reviewed Ontario’s official handbook on night driving and bad weather, Transport Canada’s vehicle-lighting guide, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s night-driving guidance, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s explanation of auto rating factors.
How Can You Drive Safely at Night?
You should be careful when driving at night because visibility is often very limited, even with headlights on. You may also encounter other drivers who don’t drive safely, increasing your likelihood of getting into an accident.
Drive at a speed at which you can stop within the distance you can see. At night, have both headlights and taillights on. Allow a longer space ahead. Dim your headlights if necessary, as required by the driving rules. If visibility is reduced, for example, in glare, fog, or when tired, reduce your speed and, if necessary, stop at a safe place.
Do not drive a car if your driving ability is affected by alcohol, cannabis, drugs, medication, or if you are very tired. Arrange other transport, or rest before driving.
Why Should You Be Careful When Driving At Night?
Driving at night is difficult. Glare from other vehicles and limited lighting make it harder to see hazards that aren’t lit, such as pedestrians, other vehicles, cyclists, and animals. Your ability to judge depth, motion and contrast is worse at night.
While headlights are helpful, they’re no substitute for daytime. Don’t drive faster than you can stop within the distance you can see in your headlights.
Signs are reflective and may be visible from a greater distance than hazards. Using the distance to road signs as a guideline can be dangerous.
Hazards of Night Driving
It’s common knowledge that night driving is more dangerous than driving in the daytime. But it still helps to understand what hazards you’ll face when driving at night. Here are hazards you should be aware of while driving during the night:
Low visibility: While this goes without saying, we still need to emphasize that low visibility is one of the main hazards of nighttime driving. With reduced visibility, you don’t have as much time to react to things on the road, especially if you’re driving at high speeds.
Fatigue: Nights are usually time for resting, and most people drive during the night after they’ve finished working or performing other activities. Being tired or drowsy increases your risk of getting in an accident because your reaction times are slower, and you often can’t devote full attention to driving.
Impaired or distracted drivers: Even if you’re taking all the safety measures you can take, other people may not do the same thing. Driving late at night means you may encounter other drivers impaired by alcohol or other substances that won’t exercise the safety measures you do, increasing your likelihood of getting in an accident.
Rush hour traffic: In the evenings, many people are anxious to get home after work and want to get there as fast as they can. The combination of darkness and careless drivers can be a dangerous one since you don’t have to be at fault to get in an accident.
Read More: Read About Driving With Headphones
Use the Right Lights for the Province
| Rule or feature | Ontario guidance | Quebec guidance or national vehicle guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Oncoming vehicle | Use low beams within 150 metres | Quebec requires low beams at least 150 metres away |
| Vehicle ahead | Use low beams when less than 60 metres behind, unless passing | Quebec uses at least 150 metres; check the code where you drive |
| Dark or poor weather | Turn on headlights and the required rear lighting | Transport Canada says daytime running lights are not enough in darkness or bad weather |
| Fog, rain or snow | Use low beams because high beams reflect back | Transport Canada gives the same visibility warning for upper beams |
| Automatic lights | Monitor whether the full system is actually on | Automatic systems only work when set correctly |
Essential Tips for Night Driving
- Clean both sides of your windshield, as well as your headlight lenses. Set dashboard lights to the lowest setting where you can still read them clearly. Dirt and glare within your vehicle, including overly bright dashboards, can reflect into your eyes.
- Take a break every two hours when travelling at night. When you first feel fatigued, pull over and take a 20- to 30-minute power nap. However, don’t keep driving if you’re sleepy.
- Adaptive high beams or automated headlights can be helpful, but it’s still your responsibility to check them, dimming your own if the feature doesn’t. Also, make sure your taillights are working before you pull out of the driveway.
Read More: See How to Pull Over Safely
Night Driving Checklist
- Plan longer trips by checking the weather, planning your route, and scheduling breaks and fuel stops.
- Make sure you have your licence and that your vehicle is registered and insured. Make sure you are well rested, fit to drive, not under the influence of anything, and able to see properly.
- Make sure your lights are working, that nothing is obscuring them, and that your windows, mirrors, camera lenses, and lights are clean. Switch your lights on, and don’t rely only on the dashboard.
How a Night-Time Collision Can Affect Insurance
Regular night driving is not automatically treated differently by insurance companies. Coverage for any collision still depends on the policy and circumstances.
Read More: Review Ontario Distracted-Driving Rules for Night Driving