Driving a Car at Night in India? Read These Safety Tips First

It is another story with driving at night in India. You can be going out on a highway road trip or doing your route in a city during the night, but when the sun sets, the conditions are quite different. Nighttime driving is a real challenge of its own, especially to an experienced driver, due to poor road lighting, unpredictability of the traffic, stray animals, and other heavy trucks.

Unless you intend to jump in a car and drive away during early evening hours, the following are some of the tips that you ought to have, as far as safety is concerned, before you hit the road.

1. Ensure that your headlights are in good working condition

This may sound simple, yet most accidents occur due to the fact that the drivers fail to check the headlights prior to starting. Ensure that low-beam and high-beam lights are operational. Wash your headlight covers; they either become foggy or yellowish. This is a major cause of poor visibility. Make sure your taillights and indicators are also in proper conditions.

2. Use High Beams Wisely

High beams are your friend on dark highways where there are no streetlights. Nevertheless, change to a low beam when an incoming vehicle travels in the opposite direction. An oncoming driver may be blinded by high beams, resulting in accidents. This is a simple courtesy most drivers in India have forgotten, and you need to look after yourself and be considerate.

3. Beware of trucks and lorries

India has a high percentage of freight movement that occurs at night. Between 10 PM and 5 AM, the roads are filled with trucks, tankers, and heavy vehicles. The speed of these vehicles is slow; they may not have proper rear reflectors and may be difficult to notice until it is too late. Always keep a safe following distance and never overtake a blind curve.

4. Be Alert for Stray Animals

There are always stray dogs, cows and other animals at nighttime in rural villages, highways and even the outskirts of the city. Animals do not reflect light as road signs do and hence can come about unexpectedly. Drive at a slow pace in the villages, the woods, and the unlit sides of a road, and have your eyes searching on the sides of the road, not only in the centre.

5. Do not drive when you are feeling sleepy

One of the most effective causes of fatigue accidents in India on the night drive is over tiredness. When you are feeling tired or your day is not good, stop at a dhaba, a petrol station or even a rest area and have a quick rest. A 20-minute nap can do wonders. Giving up and playing loud music to keep yourself awake, or rolling down the window, are simply short-term solutions which do not really work.

6. Keep Your Speed in Check

There is a purpose why there are speed limits, and during the night, these are even more significant. Your response time is the same; however, your visibility is much less. You just will have less time to respond to obstacles, potholes, animals, or suddenly emerged vehicles. Go at an easy pace with which you are in full control, particularly on an unfamiliar road.

7. Avoid Poorly Lit or Unfamiliar Routes

Wherever feasible, only use national highways or popular routes when travelling at night. It is not advisable to take shortcuts in forests, along the narrow village roads or on roads that you have never traversed. During dark hours, one can easily take a wrong turn or run over a flooded area or a damaged roadway. Pre-plan your route and follow it with the help of GPS navigation.

8. Keep Your Fuel Tank Full

Being stranded on an unlit highway in the middle of the night, with no fuel, is not only inconvenient but may pose danger, too. Rural petrol stations close at about 9 or 10 PM. You should also fill your tank before you go out on your night drive. You can remember that there are fuel stations on your way in case you need a mental note.

9. Lock Your Doors and Stay Alert at Stops

You should be careful about your environment when you are waiting at the traffic lights, at the toll points, or in the dhabas at night. Lock your doors when you are driving. When something does not feel right at a stop, have a gut feeling. It is particularly necessary when travelling in foreign towns or in secluded places.

10. Keep Emergency Contacts and a Basic Kit Ready

Each household should have a basic emergency kit in their car always: a flashlight, a reflective triangle or emergency flares, a first aid box, and a phone charger or power bank. Store the number of the highway helpline in the neighbourhood (1033 in the case of the National Highways) and a roadside contact in your phone. When you start crying, switch on your hazard lights and pull out of the road.

11. Do Not Be a Road Marking Lover

In a lot of places in India, the road markings are either worn or erratic and nonexistent in the rural regions. Never think that a road is wide because it appears to be wide, or that the markings on the lanes are correct. Judge and observe the road situation and be a defensive driver.

12. Inform Somebody of Your Way

Before going out on a long night drive, make sure that you give a friend or a family member your route and the time you are likely to arrive. See how they are doing every now and then when driving alone. This is just a tip to make someone know that he should raise an alarm in case you do not turn up as expected.

A Guide to Selecting the Correct Car

Having a good car is a big difference when you are planning a road trip or even when you are required to drive at night in an Indian city. Rentrip is a self-drive car rental company that provides you cars in various Indian cities, which means you can do it on your own timetable without having to hire drivers or cabs. When you know your car is well maintained, with your phone having access to a GPS, you would be in a much better position to have a safe night drive as compared to being in an unfamiliar vehicle.

Final Thoughts

Indians do not need to be afraid of night driving; it only takes additional preparation and consciousness. Take care on the road, watch out, and do not overdo yourself. It is always aimed at arriving safely at your destination.

Be careful, be responsible and have a good ride.