Thursday 21st is Winter Solstice or the shortest day of the year so we have some advice when driving on the motorway at night writes Geraldine Herbert
In London, the sun will rise at 8.03am on Thursday and set again at 15,53pm so we are likely to spend a lot of time driving in the dark!
- Driving in the dark can cause fatigue – plan your journey, scheduling at least one stop every two hours.
- Don’t ignore warning signs of fatigue. In extreme cases, have a caffeine drink and sleep for 20 minutes while it takes effect. You can only do this once per journey; it won’t have the same effect if you do it more than once.
- Share the driving if possible.
- Many stretches of motorway are not lit during hours of darkness – To improve your view as far as possible, keep your lights, mirrors and windscreen clean.
- Watch for tell-tale brake lights up ahead to anticipate any changes in traffic speed or queues which you may be joining.
- Make sure you can stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear.
- If you break down, pull over on to the hard shoulder and stop as far to the left as you can, pointing your wheels in towards the kerb.
- When stopped on the hard shoulder, leave your vehicle and get as far away from the road as possible, behind the crash barrier, and up the bank if there is one.
For more driving advice check out our driving tips section
Geraldine Herbert
19th December, 2017
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