Driving at Night in the Rain

I am generally not a person who likes the rain, but as I sit with my coffee in hand looking out the window this morning I'm happy to see it. No doubt, so is the vegetation that depends on it. Not so for drivers though, social media has been full of well meant advice to slow down due to the potential of slippery roads.

It struck me this morning that no one has thought to comment about driving in the rain at night.

Here on Vancouver Island it rains all winter. Many nights I found myself returning from Port Alberni to Parksville at the end of another patrol of Highway 4. The road around Cameron Lake is winding and to me it was like trying to drive inside of a sack of wet coal. Visual cues necessary to locate my vehicle on the pavement were either missing or difficult to see.

Oncoming traffic didn't seem to be affected by the reduction in the ability to see though. It was not uncommon to find drivers exceeding the speed limit although not by quite as much as they would on a dry, sunny day.

Yes, rain on pavement does reduce the available traction. It also fills in the rough surface and tends to reflect your (and everyone else's) headlights forward. Without light reflected back from the pavement you cannot see it as well. In addition, the extra light from oncoming vehicles creates unwanted glare, further reducing your ability to see.

light reflecting from pavement

The raindrops also function as a lens, scattering headlight illumination or even throwing it right back into your face. Glare is increased.

Wet surfaces distort light. This makes your windshield harder to see through and your headlights less effective.

When we can't see well, we tend to focus on the road directly in front of us. This means peripheral vision is reduced, possibly to the point of not seeing pedestrians at the roadside or vehicles approaching from the left or right at an intersection.

So, what should we do when driving at night in the rain? The simple and obvious answer is to slow down and increase your following distance.

In addition, the following will help:

Keep your windows (inside & outside) and headlights clean
Do not use high beams
Replace wipers when they no longer clean the windshield completely
Use a hydrophobic windshield treatment
Don't use cruise control
Keep both hands on the steering wheel
Turn ALL your lights on
Remember to keep your eyes moving, get the big picture

Water on the road is waiting to grab your tires and send you off in new directions. Beware of water contained in channelized pavement, pools of standing water and water running across your lane, especially at an angle. These could be virtually impossible to see at night.

You might not give it much thought, but driving at night in the rain can be a real challenge. Be prepared!

Driving in the rain.

I disagree with your statement of replace wipers when they no longer clean. I would prefer if you changed it to, depending on the kilometres you drive change your wiper blades when you put on or remove your snow tires.

For some reason from my observation far too many seem to accept streaky windshields.

To me two sets of wipers per year is a small dent in the cost of ownership of a vehicle and having good wipers is important.

Another thing I found out this year is that LED headlights may last for years but over time they do dim. I thought it was my eyesight due to advanced age but when I got the lights aligned recently the person doing so recommend new bulbs. The alignment was fine but putting in those new bulbs illuminated the road a lot better. My eyes maybe fading but the bulbs had faded more:)

Many disagree with me on this one. I use a light yellow/amber tint glasses for driving at night in rain or snow. They cut the glare in rain and when driving in snowy conditions they bring up the contrast better.

I also recommend that one turn their headlights on at all times if their vehicle DRL do not turn on all marker lights.

Cleaning Your Wipers

Good advice on driving safely at night! When I wash/detail my vehicles, I routinely clean the wiper blades with soap or an appropriate solvent. It's amazing how wiper blades collect the grime and grunge they sweep off the windshield and interfere with proper function. More importantly, wipers need to be replaced on a regular basis.

Wipers and lights

Your comment about driving in a sack of wet coal is spot on! Dry roads at night are so much easier. Fog lights can help, because the beam is supposed to be low and wide with a sharp horizontal cutoff, illuminating the road just ahead but not reflecting off the rain drops (or fog or snow).

While cleaning the blades can help, I figured out a long time ago that wipers should be replaced at least once a year in most cases. UV radiation probably breaks them down more than using them in the rain. I always liked the kind where I could replace just the rubber elements rather than the whole assembly, although it was a tricky job the first time.

Keeping the inside of the windshield clean is important too. I'd recommend nothing more than a damp microfibre towel; wipe thoroughly, multiple times. Do it again if you miss spots. This is so much easier and more effective than paper towels and window cleaners. And when the windshield (and other windows) is clean, you can take the towel and dust the the interior in about two minutes.

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