Night Driving: Essential Tips for Safe Driving After Dark

Updated October 2026

Driving at night is harder than driving in daylight. You see less, judging distance and speed is more difficult, and fatigue is more likely. That is why learners under 25 in NSW and under 21 in Victoria must log at least 20 hours of supervised night driving. These tips will help you drive safely after dark.

Use your headlights correctly

• Turn your headlights on from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is poor.
• Use high beam on dark roads to see further, but dip to low beam when you are within 200 metres of an oncoming vehicle, or within 200 metres behind a vehicle travelling the same way.
• You may briefly flash your high beam just before overtaking.
• Keep headlights and the windscreen clean, inside and out, to reduce glare.

Deal with glare

If an oncoming vehicle's lights dazzle you, look towards the left edge of the road and slow down until your eyes recover. Set your rear-view mirror to its night position to reduce glare from behind.

Slow down and increase your gap

At night you can only react to what your headlights show you. Drive at a speed that lets you stop within the distance you can see, and leave a bigger following gap than you would during the day.

Watch for pedestrians, cyclists and animals

People in dark clothing and cyclists without lights can be hard to see. In rural areas, wildlife and livestock are most active around dusk and dawn. If an animal appears, brake firmly in a straight line rather than swerving.

Manage fatigue

Your body naturally wants to sleep at night, especially after midnight and in the early morning. Warning signs include yawning, heavy eyes, drifting in your lane and missing signs. The only cure is sleep, so pull over and rest when you feel tired.

Night driving for learners

• Start on familiar, well-lit streets before progressing to darker roads and highways.
• Practise judging gaps in traffic using headlights.
• Book a night lesson with an instructor to learn how to use high beam and handle glare safely.

LicencePro instructors offer night driving lessons in many areas.