Tips for driving a campervan at night

Driving a campervan at night brings all kinds of different challenges and risks. It’s important that you’re tuned in to what they are and have a strategy for dealing with them so you can minimise the chance of an unwelcome – and potentially serious – incident on the road.

If you’re road tripping in your campervan, driving at night makes a lot of sense as the roads are often quieter and you can cover more miles. Some people prefer driving when darkness descends for such reasons, but it’s not always the wisest decision.

It’s not possible to work out exactly how many sleep-related accidents there are a year, but research shows that driver fatigue may be a contributory factor in up to 20% of road accidents, and up to one quarter of fatal and serious accidents, according to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The seriousness of sleep-related accidents is often greater because drivers don’t take evasive action. For example, they don’t brake or swerve to avoid an obstacle or reduce the impact.

You don’t have to fall asleep at the wheel to have an accident. Sleepiness increases reaction time and reduces vigilance, alertness and concentration, all of which are key elements of safe driving.

Having an accident isn’t only bad for your health – it can hit your wallet, too, causing your campervan insurance premiums to increase. So, taking preventative steps is well worth it.

We’re here to help. Just like you, the last thing we want is you to have to claim on your campervan insurance. But if you have to, of course, we’ll make the experience as painless and as stress-free as possible.

Lots of new campervan drivers on the road

The pandemic has prompted lots of people – who had never before thought about owning a campervan – to go out and buy a home on four wheels.

This is partly due to the restrictions on international travel, with many Brits having to holiday closer to home.

In certain months in 2020, campervan registrations were up by more than 70% compared to figures from the previous year, according to data from the industry body, the National Caravan Council.

NCC Director General John Lally said: “This was initially thought to be pent-up demand, but it has become apparent that the industry is welcoming new entrants to the market. They are more decisive in their purchase; we believe they are not just here for the short-term but see leisure vehicles as a safer ‘socially distanced by design’ option.”

While we love to hear about new people getting into the campervan lifestyle, this surge in demand also brings with it many inexperienced campervan drivers. Many have never driven a classic campervan like this before in their lives and there are many risks to be aware of.

Driving at night could present them with one of the greatest challenges – after all, it can be tricky enough for those of us who have been driving a campervan for years!

So, with that in mind, here are some top tips for driving your campervan at night and keeping safe while doing so.

Look to the left

Firstly, you need to avoid dazzling yourself by looking directly at the headlights of other cars. It sounds silly - and it’s not something you’d do deliberately - but it’s an easy mistake to make.

The glare from car headlights can temporarily impair your vision, making parts of the road in front you to disappear. When this happens, it can be discombobulating and dangerous. So, to avoid finding yourself in this position, keep your eyes focussed on the left-hand side of the road and use the white lines to place your campervan in the middle of the carriageway.

If your eyes do accidentally fixate on an oncoming vehicle’s headlights causing your vision to be temporarily interrupted, try not to panic. Instead, find a safe place to pull over as quickly as you can – but don’t come to an abrupt stop – and wait for your vision to return to normal. It should only take a few minutes.

Use your lights correctly

At the same time, you need to do your bit to ensure other drivers are not dazed by your campervan’s lights.

As a guide, in the evening, you should switch on your headlights around an hour before sunset. In the morning, keep them on until about an hour after sunrise to ensure you’re always clearly visible to other road users.

When the sun has disappeared from the sky completely, you’ll want to use your full beam to see the road layout more clearly – but you need to be on your guard to switch back to a dipped beam at the first sign of a driver coming in the opposite direction so that you don’t dazzle them.

It’s easy to forget to dip your beam in time when you’re concentrating hard on keeping your campervan on the road, but you need to be able to do both comfortably.

You also need to make sure all your lights are functioning as they should. So make regular checks to both front and rear lights to ensure they’re all in full working order. If a bulb needs changing, hold off driving until the morning and make getting it sorted the first order of the day. If you don’t, it’s an offence and the police have every right to pull you over and issue you with a ticket.

Book a sight test

If you do find yourself struggling to adjust to the reducing light levels, you might have an eyesight issue. Night-time driving puts an extra strain on your eyes, so it’s not a great surprise that problems can come to light at this time of the day.

A good guide as to whether you should book a sight test is to check whether you can read the traffic signs. If the letters appear blurred, you have your answer. Or it could suggest you’re tired, so pull over and rest.

If you haven’t had an eye test in the past couple of years, it doesn’t hurt to book one regardless – ideally before you set off on that campervan holiday when you’re going to ask your eyes to do a lot of concentrating on the road.

Know when to call it a night

We’ve already spelled out some of the dangers of driving tired. It can be every bit as dangerous as drink driving. You need to know when to call it a night.

It might seem like the dangers aren’t as great driving at night with fewer cars on the road. But that’s simply not the case. So, before you get behind the wheel, ask yourself if you’re tired or not. The bonus of being in a campervan is you can simply park up for the night and get some much-needed shut-eye.

At the very least, you should take regular breaks if you are driving at night – all that glare and eye strain can take its toll. Plan your route so that you’re factoring in those breaks but don’t feel like you have to make your checkpoints if you’re starting to wane. Pull over in a safe place, have a coffee and 40 winks.

Drive for the conditions

Again, the quieter roads aren’t an invitation to drive faster than you normally would – in fact, you should reduce your speed and drive with a bit more caution.

This is especially true if the weather is also particularly bad – it’s so easy to miss big puddles when it’s dark and aquaplane.

It also goes without saying that you should avoid all distractions such as your sat nav, mobile phone and your passengers. And whatever you do, don’t try to read map directions from the dark cab of your campervan.

If the police deem that you’re driving distracted, they are within their rights to enforce the law and hit you with a ticket. That’s enough to ruin any campervan trip quite frankly. Plus, it could mean your campervan insurance premiums take a jump next year with a driving offence on your record.

So, if you do need to adjust your sat nav or read a map having lost your way somewhere or come across a closed section of road, pull off the road first. Multi-tasking is not something to be proud of when you’re in charge of your campervan.

Avoid it altogether

Many people don’t like driving at night full stop. If you suffer from eyesight issues, it can make it really tricky.

Vision expert Essilor explains what it is that can hinder your vision at night. “If you try to see something in the presence of bright lights, this can cause your eyes to tear up, smearing your vision,” it says. “Low-light levels lead to a reduction in the contrast of images. Combining the two and night driving can seem like a nightmare.”

Some people complain that they struggle to judge distances at night and feel like their field of vision isn’t the same as it is during the day. Then there’s the glare for light-sensitive eyes which can blur sight or leave drivers with partial vision.

If any of the above is familiar, keep your campervan parked at night and leave the driving until the sun comes back up – unless it’s absolutely necessary.

If you want to give yourself a chance to drive without issue – and you're a glasses/contact lens wearer – consider investing in some night-time driving glasses which are designed to reduce glare by scattering and filtering out blue light. They don’t work for everyone, however, so it might be worth asking for a trial set to keep in your van.

Put some practice in

If you’ve been actively avoiding driving at night since as long as you can remember, you’re bound to be a bit nervous. You’re only going to get comfortable by braving it and getting out in your campervan in the dark.

Head out with a reassuring passenger if it helps to give you the confidence you need. If you’re a new campervan driver, the experience will help you get your bearings.

Pack for emergencies

Our final tip is not a particularly cheery one, but it might just be the most important in this list. As with any trip, you need to prepare for the worst: your campervan breaking down.

Obviously, when your camper breaks down it’s even worse than grinding to a halt in a car because it’s your home for the time that you’re away. Breaking down at night is even worse still as it’s hard to inspect your vehicle and, depending on where you’ve stopped, you need to take precautions to ensure that other road users can see you.

So, what do you need? A torch is very useful – a head torch is even better as it will free up your hands to carry out an inspection and potentially make any repairs e.g., change a wheel.

You should also make sure that you have some warm clothing and blankets on board to keep you and all your passengers nice and warm. Even if it’s the height of summer, it can get pretty chilly at night.

Before you head out for a night-time drive, make sure your mobile phone is fully charged so you can call for help.

Breakdown cover is absolutely invaluable for this reason. So, when researching your campervan insurance, make sure you ask about this option.

Campervan insurance that’s right for you

Campervan insurance cover from Lancaster Insurance can be tailored to your individual needs. So, if you're a new campervan driver, you might want to consider getting cover that comes with all the optional extras.

We have ample experience in arranging campervan cover and will take care of your van as you enjoy travelling and living inside it.

Here are some of the benefits we offer:

• Up to 365 days EU cover available
• Gas bottle and awning Cover
• Windscreen cover
• Optional breakdown cover
• 24-hour claims helpline
• UK-based call centre
• Personal effects up to £6000
• Limit mileage discounts available

Get your campervan insurance quote from Lancaster Insurance today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.