Motorway lights being turned off - impact on safety?

Funky_Bold_Ribena

im-lost wrote: »

to be honest, if you don't feel 'safe' driving with only your headlights as illumination, I think its time for you to have a good hard think about your suitability to be out on the roads at night

Are you really suggesting that being able to see things is a bad thing? Perhaps you are more of a short sighted driver; I like to be able to see well in front of me and around me so that I can be aware of what's going on around me and the car. Nothing wrong with being a short sighted type; some of us are bigger picture - that's just the way it is.

Jo_F

My other half is a truck driver and he hates doing overnight runs on unlit motorways, mainly because there is nothing to see in your peripheral vision. If there is nothing to see but lines and lines of cats eyes it can get very boring and you run the risk of 'switching off' and just running on autopilot, which is not good for safety.

Iceweasel

dacouch wrote: »

Boring fact Belgium being the only country that has lights over the entire motorway network

Don't ever forget that Driving Tests in Belgium were only introduced in 1977.

So anyone born before say 1960 got their licence over the counter just for the asking.

Maybe they need the lights!

Very scary!!!

Mind you, we did the same during WW2 - that's how my mum got hers.

I only found that out 10 years ago - even more scary!

prowla

Whenever I drive on a fully lit section of motorway I always think to myself "I wonder how much this lot costs to run?".

If you are driving at 70 (or so) on a 3-lane road, then your car headlights are perfectly sufficient to see by.

Norman_Castle

Unlit motorways are fine if the cats eyes are maintained. Sometimes these are very patchy.

giraffe69

They have just resurfaced the road in our village. There are no lamp posts and they also removed and did not replace the cat's eyes. I thought they were mad but in practice it has made almost no difference.

fivetide

Strider590 wrote: »

If it forces muppets to use their headlights instead of just the side/parking lights, then I ain't complaining.

Come on. You just know anyone with their sidelights on is using their foglights for illumination "because it's cool innit?"

Personally, no issue with driving on an unlit road as long as it is dark. The bit I hate is that annoying half light where it is getting dark but your lights still don't cover the road that well. That is very tiring on the eyes.

As said though, breaking down on an unlit section I would be concerned about.

flyingscotno1

Strider590 wrote: »

Pretty sure they use fluorescent lights, which are effectively the same as CFLs, use very little power for the light they emit, but have the disadvantage that power cycling reduces the working life quite significantly. Switching them on/off everytime a few cars go past, they'd end up paying out more for replacing them, than would cost to leave them on 24/7.

Metal Halide is becoming very common.

Ultrasonic

Jo_F wrote: »

My other half is a truck driver and he hates doing overnight runs on unlit motorways, mainly because there is nothing to see in your peripheral vision. If there is nothing to see but lines and lines of cats eyes it can get very boring and you run the risk of 'switching off' and just running on autopilot, which is not good for safety.

I have similar thoughts to be honest. Do I get stressed driving on unlit motorways? No. But if I then get to a section that is lit, e.g. near a junction, I do find it more pleasant. I can't see any way it isn't safer as well.

I'd like to know how much it actually costs to illuminate motorways before I'd have a firm opinion on this.

notanewuser

http://www.lightpollution.org.uk/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16470744