Book Lesson
Call: (973) 879-4107
Night Driving Program
Night driving involves more concentration, visual awareness and the ability to identify different hazards and make adjustments earlier than in daylight situations.
Road authorities agree that night driving presents unique challenges, increased risks and numerous deaths and injuries.
This program is aimed at either the newer drivers that are ready to test their skill within a visually challenged environment or those individuals who are uncomfortable driving at night.
The distance a driver can see is shortened and so hazards can often seem to appear out of nowhere. It also takes time for the eyes to adjust to the darkness after being in a lit building or after driving on a well-lit road.
Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds.
The first step toward night driving safety is being aware of the issues that may disrupt a driver’s confidence behind the wheel. My program will explain how to recognize some of these issues that a driver will experience while driving at night and how to deal with them.
Discomfort with driving at night is a pervasive issue.
Anyone who spends time on the road whether as a driver, passenger or pedestrian has the potential to be impacted by another person’s unsafe driving behavior.
During the lesson, the student will be shown various ways to overcome potential issues from other drivers that may put their safety or attention at risk.
Just as it occurs while driving during the daytime, it's not uncommon for other drivers to do things that can make one nervous or distract one's attention from the task at hand. Students will be advised and shown what possible actions to take to avoid the situation from possibly getting worse.
Depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.
While we do only one-quarter of our driving at night, 50% of traffic deaths happen at night. It doesn't matter whether the road is familiar or not, driving at night is always more dangerous. The most obvious danger of night driving is decreased visibility.
For teens, night-time driving substantially increases risk. It’s an incredibly dangerous time for them to drive. Mile for mile, 16 and 17 year old drivers are about 3x times as likely to be involved in a fatal car crash at night than during the day—and they don’t have to be out super late.
Research shows that 19% of fatal crashes involving a teen driver between the ages of 15 and 17 occur between 6 – 9 pm.
This is the age when many teens receive their permit, progress through GDL and start their first year of licensed driving.
When looking at all teen drivers between the ages of 15 and 19, almost 18% of crashes occur between 9 pm-midnight.
That doesn’t mean that teens shouldn’t experience night driving at all. They need to develop this skill through practice.
The best approach is to give your teen plenty of opportunities to learn how to drive at night.
Even many experienced drivers do not feel comfortable driving at night. Booking a refresher lesson can give you advice on driving in the hours of darkness.
​