Driving in the Dark

I remember quite vividly the first time I properly drove in the dark. It was during my driving test, there was a hint of rain and all the street lights gave the night a heavy orange tint. I thankfully passed my driving test and I felt very proud of myself, especially because things were quite dark. After a bit of rain, we drove home, and I thought very little about driving in the dark. I had headlights, I could see where I was driving and that was it. Not long afterwards, when I had to go to a mandatory first aid course, I combined multiple things together: driving in the dark, on a highway, while it was chucking down with rain. This didn’t bother me in the slightest, and I had my music playing in the background. I got home perfectly happy and safe.

Basically, I’ve never had a problem with driving in the dark. But it wasn’t until the other day that I realized other people weren’t as keen with night driving. My boyfriend mentioned how he’d had friends who refused to drive in the dark at all. Admittedly, the last time I did properly drive in the dark, it was on the main highway and it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. So I could kinda see what they were getting at. But I found it odd that people were that concerned about driving in the dark.

Personally, I actually sometimes find it easier to drive in the dark. Everyone had headlights on so you can definitely see where you are. Driving in town during the night is actually not that bad at all because most of the streets have lights on, and there’s that nice, warm orange tint on everything. Driving on the highways is a different beast, but again, you can clearly see every other car around you, because everyone is using headlights. If anything, headlights let you see another vehicle quicker than you normally would. Of course, there’s always the odd asshole driving with their high beams, stunning everyone else around them, but at least you know they’re there.

What I don’t like though is driving at night on a motorway while in the middle of a storm, especially if it’s really windy. The main motorway here is actually somewhat high up, especially between Paphos and Limasol. Driving over the bridge parts of motorways, you can really feel the wind, tugging and clawing at the side of your car. And there’s been the odd time that I’ve had to stop and wait for a storm to pass because visibility is insanely bad at times.

However, I won’t say that I’m scared of that sort of scenario. The trick is to take it slow and careful. It’s just a bit more extreme, and I’d rather take my time than drive in miserable conditions. Thankfully, that sort of weather hazard is actually quite rare in Cyprus, and never happens at all during the summer.

As for driving at night in general? All the same rules apply compared to driving during the day time, you just need to make sure your headlights are on. As long as you take things steady, you’ll be fine.