no cats eyes on unlit motorway at night

usignuolo

I have always preferred driving on lit rather than unlit motorways at night and I feel less safe on unlit ones. I know not everyone agrees and to cut down on light pollution, and presumably save money, increasingly more stretches of motorway lights are being turned off at night, The authorities claim there is no increase in accidents as a result.

So I must be in a minority but I do try to avoid night driving on motorways for long distances in poor weather. Recently I got caught out coming back from the Channel Islands. The weather was lousy the ferry was delayed for a couple of hours and it was very overcast and damp in Poole when we finally arrived and I had to set out for London.

When I got onto the M27 and then the M3 heading for London it was a very dark damp night but it had stopped raining so I was not too worried about the journey ahead. However once I got onto the motorways, which had only light traffic, there were frequent periods when the road ahead of me was dark, and none of the cats eyes which divide the lanes were visible. I assume they were broken or worn out. This was particularly true in the southern stretches of my journey.

Good bright cats eyes certainly make it easier to drive on the motorways on dark cloudy nights. Is it legal for the authorities to provide them or are the optional? What does anyone else find?

anotherbaldrick

I think this is when you find out how good your headlights are. Some are about as effective as a Nun's nightlight . On the Tiguan I have Bi-Xenons and they are fantastic at picking out the road ahead, you do have to be conscientious in dipping them as soon as you know someone is ahead or approaching.


http://en.volkswagen.com/en/innovation-and-technology/technical-glossary/scheinwerferreinigungsanlage.html

usignuolo

I have a Skoda Fabia. I guess I could replace the headlights but I suspect the way cars are built these days it would be a costly retrofit. Is there a maximum spec? Would I also have to tell my insurers?

force_ten

I actually prefer driving on unlit motorways, living in a rural location it is 70 miles to our nearest motorway, once we go out of town 95% of the A roads around here are unlit so any driving that we do at night is in the dark with no lights other than the cars headlights

I can normally happily drive on an unlit motorway at the national speed limit using just dipped headlights

I suppose a lot of it depends what you are used to

tykesi

would be a costly retrofit? YES

Would I also have to tell my insurers? YES

If you try to avoid driving in these conditions and only really do it if you are caught unawares due to circumstances out of your control is it worth spending any money on it?

If you find yourself in that situation again slow down a bit, use full beam where possible and consider finding an alternative route if possible which may be lit.

There are certain bulbs which will provide more light. Osram Nightbreakers get good reviews but can be £20 a pair, could prove costly if you personally don't see any difference.

force_ten

rather than go for a full xenon conversion you could try upgraded bulbs like Philips X-Treme or Osram Nightbreakers they both offer brighter lights than standard fit bulbs and it is a much cheaper option than a xenon conversion

to properly retrofit a car with xenons will cost a lot of money

spacey2012

The whole country is getting worn out.
This is because the budget set aside to fix things is getting syphoned off and put in to the back pockets of cronies.

Iceweasel

Do a search on a Škoda forum.

I would suggest you get a set of Osram Nightbreaker Plus Unlimited as mentioned above.

Plenty on eBay for around £13 or so a pair.

Or check with EuroCarParts - reserve them on line and get 50% discount - then turn up and pay for them when you collect - no discount if you just walk in off the street!

Depending on your headlight set-up you may need 2 pairs.

Don't even consider changing to xenon or bi-xenon - unless you have a very fat wallet.

If you can't tell the difference between them and the standard OE lamps, something else is wrong.

Check the headlamp alignment, and were you using the leveling system to lower the lamps for a loaded car?

Also when did you last have an eye test?

I consider cat's eyes to be a bit outdated and of use only to folks with old-style headlights - or ones that are inefficient.

They don't give me any assistance or added confidence at all - even in fog.

scotsbob

Seven responses and not one answers the OPs question!

My understanding is that lanes have to be marked but the only requirement for illuminated markings is at motorway exits where colour coded markings are required.

anotherbaldrick

scotsbob wrote: »

Seven responses and not one answers the OPs question!

My understanding is that lanes have to be marked but the only requirement for illuminated markings is at motorway exits where colour coded markings are required.

The roads are what they are , don't expect the Highways Agency to upgrade the cats eyes over the motorway system as an urgency. Self preservation suggests adapting to the status quo is preferential.

[Deleted User]

Try running over them to clean the eyes.

Then they will be visible next time you're on that motorway.