more mature drivers giving up night driving?

Which one do you take Bukkie?

I started taking lutein after I had a few retinal bleeds which are not uncommon for strong prescription like mine. I am -10 in both eyes. Almost immediately I noticed the clarity and sharpness of colours improved and I haven't had a reoccurrence of the bleeds.

I’m driving less at night. The awful headlights part of the reason but the recent deluges made night motorway driving high risk . Trucks speeding, aggressive fast driving in dangerous conditions along with no longer being 39……

Astitchintime

It always concerns me when I heard people claim they only drive in familiar routes……….this is complacency and that’s when we take our eye off the ball because, subconsciously, we think we know where we are and what we’re doing. All too often the is leads to accidents.
I’d happily undergo a re-test now I am in my senior years, I don’t want to be that person who kills someone when I was popping to the shops, involving a journey that I’ve driven for years and years.
As for the lights……if they are so dazzling then surely an adjustment to seating position, tinted lenses and more importantly reassurance from the optician might be the best course of action.

I have special tinted glasses but they don’t help at all. And it isn’t just older people that are struggling with night driving. Imo it’s nothing to do with getting out of the habit of driving. If you can’t see you can’t see. What’s the point of having to be able to read a number plate from a certain distance if you then have to be bombarded with dazzling lights when driving?

It’s not just driving at night. I know a lot of older people living on their own don’t like returning to an empty house when it is dark so don’t go out to evening events.

argymargy

I can imagine giving up when I no longer need to drive at night. It’s not just the bright headlights and massive cars - I also can struggle to see road markings that councils no longer bother to repaint, or to avoid all the widening potholes that no-one repairs. Add to that cars parked on both sides of streets that means you have to play chicken with oncoming cars…

I gave up driving a couple of years ago, I hated having to drive at night .and road markings are really bad now I was always scared that I go into the grass verge, I don't know when last the road marking were painted

These headlights are ridiculous and dangerous. As a car passenger they even blind me and other drivers don't seem to know how to dip their headlights anymore.

I gave up driving when I was diagnosed with AMD and cataracts in both eyes. The consultants argued over which needed to be tackled first until my GP banged their heads together (metaphorically) by which time I had adapted to life without a car. Even with good eyesight I knew my reactions were not so good.

We have relied upon public transport since my OH became disabled due to a brain injury which has affected him mentally as well as physically. I have never driven. But before my OH became disabled and unable to drive he was struggling to drive in the darkness due to the awful glaring headlamps and we had already discussed him giving up driving because he would become very stressed. Luckily we have fairly good public transport so it isn’t the end of the world.

Like others here I dislike night driving but continue to do it out of necessity.
Social events are within walking/cycling distance and I’d much rather travel that way anyway.

It’s the double whammy of bright headlights and low sun that puts me off driving at this time of year, despite my anti glare glasses. Roll on summer!

I am so pleased to see this post. My night driving has diminished from driving anywhere, to familiar routes only and now to being reluctant to get behind the wheel when it's dark. I have to navigate a country lane but have decided to always turn left which has houses and a school and is better lit rather than right which is pitch black and very twisty. The edges of the lane have disappeared in places which I am putting down to the weight of the wide SUV's. Add the potholes and impatient drivers to that and it's like Russian Roulette. I will keep driving but using the safer side of the lane and the main road. A slightly longer journey but safer.

Bukki what noticeable difference did you have after taking Lutein? What dose did you take?. I have Macular Degeneration so I'm very interested in what you say .

Try the supplement lutein, it is unbelievable for improving the clarity of eyesight. I cannot believe opticians don't prescribe it to everyone.

keepingquiet we don’t all have the luxury of busses in the evening!

I wonder how many people who struggle driving at night have had an eye test in the past year? I found out in April that I have cataracts and glaucoma and so can’t drive in the dark or if it’s too sunny. I don’t have the usual symptoms of either and the opaque circles around my pupils are very faint. So maybe a visit to an optician may help some of you?

All our U3A events are during the day. WI is mixed so I go to one evening and one day but the evening one is going as the leader is so horrible although it is walking distance away. Our church ones are in the day too although the new vicar stopped the afternoon tea and chat and turned it into a bible study in the evenings. The tea and chat was very popular with the elderly and I imagine they won't go to the bible study instead. Organiser do need to think about their audience.

Can't people get buses anymore? I think I must live in another country because I love going out at night, whether it is driving locally or using buses and trains to get to town or the nearest city.
I get very frustrated with some friends who won't go out after dark and some of them don't even have cars?

I don't get it at all. I refuse to become a prisoner in my own home!

Some headlights are too bright but the real problem is old eyes, at 77 I’m OK driving at night but rain with reflections everywhere are difficult, but then they always were.

I drove about 50 miles Friday night and I didn’t get dazzled once, usually there are a few that don’t dip soon enough, although traffic was heavy and everyone was using dipped beam anyway.

I find the main problem is very bright headlights from incoming cars, often unzipped.

I will still drive at night - on familiar roads with lighting, or at least very good cats’ eyes/markings. But no way would I drive on unlit, unmarked smaller country roads at night any more.

I don’t like driving at night because of the headlights. Fortunately I don’t have to do much driving at night because I can walk to work now and just have one activity out of town one night a week. When we swapped our car last year, we bought one that was higher up which has helped massively.

I frequently give lifts to an older friend (77) who won’t drive after dusk, usually short local trips to and from appointments. I seldom need to drive far in the dark and struggled with a 10 mile drive home yesterday at midnight. Visiting family at Christmas will mean a 100 mile drive in the dark, I hate staying the night away from home, so I just hope it’s dry and clear weather and the traffic is light.

If you want to keep driving you need to keep driving. I am making every effort to keep doing every kind of driving. Last week I drove a 150 mile journey between Yorkshire and home, a mix of motorway and dual carriage way. I continue to zip around my local area and still drive at night. I do avoid unfamilar country roads at night, especially if they are likely to be busy, but will drive them if I have to.

IN the past year 2 people have quite voluntarily told me that they are comfortable being in a car I am driving because I drive safely.

But driving is like everything else in life, you lose competency and confidence if you do not get in sufficient practice.

During COVID year, I virtually stopped driving and I lost both competence and confidence. The solution was a month when we chanced to have a number of long journeys. I told DH I would drive all of them, even in his car. At the end of the first journey he commented how much my driving had improved in one journey, from knowing which lane to get into at roundabouts, to having more confidence turning out at junctions and overtaking.

I felt confident as well.

I no longer drive on narrow unfamiliar country roads at night. I am still ok with familiar roads though.

I think what eazybee said is right, for me anyway. I’m okay with night driving generally, but I don’t like driving at dusk because your lights aren’t as effective as in the dark, people take risks crossing the road, drivers forget to put their lights on, or have them on main beam, and it’s busier so it’s harder to focus.

It always concerns me when I heard people claim they only drive in familiar routes……….this is complacency and that’s when we take our eye off the ball because, subconsciously, we think we know where we are and what we’re doing. All too often the is leads to accidents.
I’d happily undergo a re-test now I am in my senior years, I don’t want to be that person who kills someone when I was popping to the shops, involving a journey that I’ve driven for years and years.
As for the lights……if they are so dazzling then surely an adjustment to seating position, tinted lenses and more importantly reassurance from the optician might be the best course of action.