Driving at night is a different skill from driving in daylight. The roads are the same, the rules are mostly the same, but what you can see, how quickly you can react and how tired you feel all change once the sun goes down. For learners it’s also a legal requirement: if you’re under 21, 20 of your 120 logbook hours have to be done at night. This guide covers the night hours rule, the headlight and high beam rules, handling glare, spotting pedestrians and wildlife, fatigue, and what changes when you’re driving solo on your Ps.
The rules and figures below come from Victorian Government sources (VicRoads, Transport Victoria, the TAC, Youth Central and Victoria Police) and Wildlife Victoria. Every source is listed at the end. Rules can change, so check those pages before relying on any single detail.
Why night driving is harder than it looks
Most new drivers expect night driving to feel like day driving with the lights on. It doesn’t. The TAC puts the core problem simply: visibility is reduced at night, and so is the time you have to recognise and respond to hazards. You see less, you see it later, and you have less time to do something about it.
A few things change at once:
- Your view shrinks to the area your headlights and the street lights reach. Anything outside that pool of light is hard to pick up until it’s close.
- Judging speed and distance gets harder. An oncoming car becomes two lights, and it’s difficult to tell how far away or how fast it is.
- Glare from oncoming headlights, and from wet roads reflecting them, can leave you briefly unable to see.
- Fatigue builds, because you’re often driving at the end of a long day or at the time you’d normally be asleep.
- People are harder to see. Pedestrians in dark clothes and cyclists without lights can appear very late.
The numbers reflect this. According to the TAC, red P plate drivers are seven times more likely to be injured or killed driving at night than fully licensed drivers. The TAC also says the most dangerous time for a new driver is the first three to six months after getting their licence. Good night practice as a learner is how you shrink that risk before you’re on your own.
The 20 night hours in your learner logbook
If you’re under 21, VicRoads requires you to complete and log a minimum of 120 hours of supervised driving, including at least 20 hours at night, before you can take your drive test. You also need to have held your learner permit for at least 12 months, continuously. Transport Victoria’s probationary licence page sets out the same 120 and 20 figures for learners under 21.
If you’re 21 or over, the minimum time on your Ls is shorter (six months if you’re 21 to under 25, three months if you’re 25 or older). Check the current logbook requirements for your age with Transport Victoria rather than assuming the under-21 rules apply to you. Night practice is still worth doing either way, because the drive test won’t be the last time you drive after dark.
What counts as night
Transport Victoria’s myLearners FAQs explain that night-time hours are based on sunrise and sunset each day. The myLearners app uses daily sunrise and sunset times so everyone’s night hours are recognised consistently. The FAQs add that night driving must be in dark conditions, when headlights are required to drive safely.
In practice, that means a drive that starts at 5pm in June will count differently from a drive at 5pm in December. Melbourne’s winter sunsets come early, so winter is the easiest time of year to fit night hours around school, uni or work. In summer you may be waiting until well after 8pm.
Declaring your hours
Once you reach the 120 hours, the myLearners FAQs say you need to declare your 120 hours (with 20 night-time hours) before moving on to the drive test, and your supervising driver also confirms completion. Log each drive as you do it. Trying to reconstruct months of driving from memory at the end is how hours get lost.
For a broader look at how the 120 hours fit together, including how professional lessons fit in, see our post on how many hours it takes to learn to drive.
How to plan your night hours
Twenty hours sounds like a lot, but it adds up quickly with a plan. The TAC’s advice to parents is to give learners night practice from dusk through to late at night and early in the morning, on different types of roads, and in rainy and windy weather. That’s a good checklist to build your 20 hours around.
- i.Start in a quiet, well-lit area
Your first night drives should be on streets you already know well in daylight. Local roads around home, a shopping centre car park after hours, or a familiar route to school or work.
- ii.Add dusk and dawn
Twilight is its own challenge. Light is fading, some drivers haven’t turned their headlights on yet, and wildlife is more active. Practise both ends of the day.
- iii.Move to busier and faster roads
Main roads with oncoming traffic teach you to handle glare. Freeways teach you to read tail lights and judge gaps at speed. Add these once you’re comfortable with the basics.
- iv.Include unlit roads
Semi-rural roads with no street lighting are where high beam matters. If you can, get some supervised practice on them before you drive them alone.
- v.Drive in the wet at night
Rain at night is the hardest combination for most new drivers. Line markings disappear, glare doubles off the wet road, and stopping takes longer. Don’t let your first wet night drive be a solo one.
Instructor tip
Don’t bank all 20 night hours in one season. Ten hours on familiar streets in winter isn’t the same as a mix of wet nights, dawn drives and a country road or two. Variety is what makes the hours count.
When your headlights must be on
Transport Victoria states that you must use your headlights between sunset and sunrise, and also in hazardous conditions with reduced visibility, such as heavy rain, fog or smoke.
Two things catch new drivers out here.
Daytime running lights aren’t headlights
Many modern cars have daytime running lights (DRLs) that switch on automatically with the engine. Transport Victoria is clear that DRLs are not a replacement for headlight use at night. On some cars the dash stays lit with DRLs on, so it’s easy to drive off at dusk with your tail lights off. Check the headlight switch, and if your car has an Auto setting, switch the lights on yourself if it’s slow to react at dusk or in heavy rain.
High beam: when to dip
High beam lets you see much further down the road, which is exactly what you need on dark, unlit roads. It also dazzles other drivers. That’s why the rule on dipping is strict.
Transport Victoria’s headlight page says to use your low beam when a vehicle is less than 200 metres ahead, whether it’s coming towards you or going in the same direction.
The “same direction” part is the one new drivers forget. Your high beam shining into the back of another car lights up their rear-view and side mirrors and dazzles the driver just as much as an oncoming car would.
How far is 200 metres?
Judging distance at night is hard. If you can clearly see another car’s headlights or tail lights ahead on a straight road, assume you’re close enough to dip. Dip early rather than late.
- Dip as soon as oncoming headlights appear over a crest or around a bend
- Dip when you catch up to a car ahead, and stay on low beam while you follow it
- Dip on lit streets in town, where high beam adds little and dazzles others
- Switch back to high beam once the other car has passed and the road ahead is clear
If your car has automatic high beam, stay ready to dip manually. It doesn’t always pick up cyclists, pedestrians or a car appearing around a bend.
Fog lights: when you can use them
According to Transport Victoria, Road Rule 217 says you must not use front or rear fog lights unless you’re driving in fog or other hazardous weather conditions that cause reduced visibility. Fog lights aren’t for looking stylish on a clear night. Rear fog lights in particular are very bright and can dazzle the driver behind you.
When there is fog, Transport Victoria’s winter driving advice is to use fog lights instead of high beam. High beams don’t work well in fog or mist, because the light bounces back off the water droplets and makes it harder to see. If your car doesn’t have fog lights, the same page suggests turning on your hazard lights with your headlights on low beam. Switch your fog lights off again as soon as the fog clears.
Handling glare from oncoming headlights
Being dazzled by an oncoming car is one of the most unsettling parts of night driving. For a second or two after the car passes, the road ahead can look almost black while your eyes readjust.
Transport Victoria’s advice for oncoming high beams is to look to the left side of the road and move towards the left of your lane. Don’t stare into the lights. Use the left edge line or the kerb to keep your position while the car goes past. If you’re dazzled, slow down and, when it’s safe, pull over until your eyes recover.
For glare from behind, use your rear-view mirror’s night setting (a small tab underneath that tilts the mirror) or its auto-dimming function.
Never “flash back” with your own high beam in retaliation. Two dazzled drivers is worse than one.
Nazrul Islam, Mitcham Driving SchoolWhen the lights come at you, look left and let them pass. Your eyes will come back. Just don’t speed up while you’re waiting for them.
Seeing pedestrians and cyclists
A pedestrian in dark clothing on an unlit street is one of the hardest things to spot at night. Your headlights pick up road signs and reflective markings well because they’re designed to reflect light. People mostly aren’t. By the time you see a person clearly, you may be much closer than you would be in daylight.
The TAC’s pedestrian safety page makes the stakes clear: if a person is hit by a vehicle travelling above 30 km/h, the risk of death or injury rises rapidly. The TAC urges drivers to stay within the speed limit, especially in built-up areas, and to watch for people crossing or riding bikes and scooters around residential streets and shopping areas.
Take extra care around pubs, restaurants, train stations and bus stops late in the evening, at intersections and crossings, and on roads with no footpath where people walk on the road edge.
Cyclists at night
Victoria Police advises cyclists to have a front and rear light on their bike, use them in the evening or low light, and wear light-coloured or reflective clothing. Not every rider does. Watch for the small flashing red of a rear bike light, and for the reflectors on pedals and wheels, which catch your headlights before the rider does.
When you pass a cyclist, the minimum passing distances are the same day or night: at least 1 metre in speed zones up to 60 km/h and at least 1.5 metres in zones over 60 km/h, according to Victoria Police. At night, give more if you can, and dip your high beam as you approach so you don’t blind the rider.
Kangaroos and other wildlife
Head out of the suburbs towards the Yarra Valley, the Dandenongs or regional Victoria and you’ll soon see wildlife warning signs. Night and twilight drives are when they matter most.
Wildlife Victoria notes that many of Australia’s native animals are most active at dawn and dusk. That’s exactly when light is poorest and your eyes are adjusting. Its advice is to avoid driving at dawn and dusk where you can, and if you can’t, to reduce your speed and watch for wildlife.
Speed matters because stopping takes longer than most people think. Wildlife Victoria points out that in average conditions a car travelling at 60 km/h takes about 45 metres to stop. At higher speeds on country roads, that distance grows quickly, and on low beam you may only see an animal once it’s inside it.
- Slow down where you see wildlife warning signs, especially at dawn and dusk
- Scan the road edges and verges, not just the lane ahead
- Where kangaroos are around, one is often followed by more
- Use high beam on unlit roads when there’s no traffic within 200 metres, then dip when there is
If you hit an animal
Wildlife Victoria asks drivers who strike a native animal to pull over when it’s safe to do so and call Wildlife Victoria on (03) 8400 7300. Pull well off the road, switch on your hazard lights, and think about your own safety before going near the animal or stepping near traffic. An injured kangaroo can be dangerous. Wildlife Victoria also notes that marsupials may be carrying young in the pouch that can survive after the mother has died, which is why reporting it matters. Save the number in your phone before your next country drive.
Speed, following distance and what you can actually see
The speed limit is the maximum, not a target, and at night that matters more. On low beam your headlights only light up a limited stretch of road. If you’re travelling fast enough that you can’t stop within the distance you can see, you’re driving beyond your lights.
Transport Victoria recommends a three-second gap to the car in front as a standard, and extending it to four seconds at night or in poor light. It’s easy to measure: when the car ahead passes a fixed point like a sign or a post, count “one thousand and one, one thousand and two…” You shouldn’t reach that point before you’ve counted to four.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Clear night on a lit suburban street | Low beam, normal speed within the limit, four-second gap |
| Unlit road, no other traffic nearby | High beam, speed that lets you stop within what you can see |
| Vehicle within 200 m ahead, either direction | Dip to low beam |
| Rain at night | Low beam, slow down, extra following distance |
| Fog | Fog lights if fitted (or low beam with hazards), no high beam, slow down |
| Wildlife warning signs at dawn or dusk | Slow down and scan the verges |
| Dazzled by oncoming lights | Look left, slow down, pull over if you can’t see |
Fatigue: the risk that builds quietly
Tiredness and night driving go together. You’re often driving home after work, training, a shift or a party, and your body is expecting sleep. The TAC’s tired driving page gives two figures worth remembering:
- Driving in the early hours of the morning, 2am to 5am, increases the risk of being in a fatal crash ten-fold
- People with less than five hours of sleep are over ten times more likely to be involved in a crash that leads to an injury
Warning signs
The TAC lists these as signs of fatigue. If you notice any of them, you’re already tired enough to be at risk:
- Difficulty keeping to the centre of your lane
- Struggling to keep your eyes open
- Blurred vision or your eyes losing focus
- Zoning out, loss of concentration or your mind wandering
- Not being able to recall the last few minutes of driving
- Nodding off, head nodding or jerking back up. If this happens, stop driving
What actually helps
The only real fix for tiredness is sleep. The TAC recommends a good night’s sleep before driving (ideally eight hours), regular breaks on long drives at least every two hours, and pulling over somewhere safe for a break or a 15 to 20 minute powernap when you feel tired. Winding the window down or turning the music up doesn’t fix fatigue. It just hides the warning signs for a few minutes.
Watch out
Supervising drivers get tired too. If you’re doing long night drives to build logbook hours, your supervisor needs to be alert enough to spot hazards and help you. Two tired people in the front seats doesn’t make a safe practice session.
Getting your car ready for night driving
Your car matters more at night. A dirty windscreen or a dead headlight globe barely shows up in daylight, but after dark they can halve what you see. Transport Victoria’s winter driving advice is to check your tyres, windscreen wipers, battery, lights and brakes before travelling. For night driving, add a few extra checks.
Windscreen and mirrors
Clean the inside of your windscreen as well as the outside. A film builds up on the inside glass over time, and you often won’t notice it until oncoming headlights turn it into a bright haze. Clean your mirrors and side windows too, and replace wiper blades that smear or streak. Keep the washer bottle topped up.
Lights
Once a week or before any long night drive, walk around the car with the lights on:
- Low beam and high beam both working, on both sides
- Tail lights and number plate light working
- Brake lights working (ask someone to check, or reverse up to a wall or garage door and look in the mirror)
- Indicators front and rear
- Headlight lenses clean and not badly yellowed or foggy
Also make sure you know your car’s controls before you need them in the dark. You should be able to find the headlight switch, high beam stalk, fog lights, demister, wipers and hazard lights without looking down. If you’re a learner practising in a family car, spend five minutes in the driveway going through them.
Country roads at night
Driving on unlit country roads is a completely different experience from suburban night driving. Transport Victoria notes that driving at night can be dangerous on roads with no street lighting, and advises keeping night trips short where you can and sticking to familiar roads.
If you are heading out to regional Victoria after dark, keep these in mind:
- Use high beam whenever there’s no vehicle within 200 metres, and dip early when one appears
- Watch for the glow of oncoming headlights over crests and around bends, and dip before the car comes into view
- Slow down for bends. On low beam you can’t see as far around a curve, and advisory speed signs are there for a reason
- Watch the verges for wildlife, especially near bushland and farmland
- Plan fuel and breaks. Service stations in rural areas may be closed at night
- Take breaks at least every two hours on long drives, as the TAC recommends
Night driving on your P plates
Once you pass your test, you’ll probably do most of your night driving alone for the first time. That’s a big step, and it’s why the TAC’s statistics on first-year drivers at night are so stark.
Is there a night curfew?
No. Youth Central’s list of P1 and P2 conditions doesn’t include a night-time curfew or night driving restriction in Victoria. You can legally drive at any hour on red or green Ps. All your other P plate rules still apply at night, including the zero alcohol limit, the ban on any mobile phone use, and on red Ps, the limit of one peer passenger aged 16 to under 22. Our guide to Victorian P plate rules covers them in full. If you drive interstate, check that state’s rules, because probationary conditions differ across Australia.
The TAC’s night driving facts page points to why night is harder for new drivers: fatigue is more likely because most social events happen at night, and passengers increase the chance of distraction. The late drive home from a party with friends in the car is exactly the situation the P1 passenger limit is designed for.
Common night driving questions
Do night hours have to be done with a professional instructor?
No. Night hours are supervised driving hours like the rest of your 120, and they can be done with any supervising driver who meets the requirements. Many families do most of their night hours on everyday trips. Some learners book an evening lesson with an instructor to get feedback on glare, high beam use and speed, then practise the rest with family.
Does driving at dusk count as night?
The myLearners app works out night hours from daily sunrise and sunset times, and the FAQs say night driving must be in dark conditions when headlights are required. Driving before sunset won’t count as night, even if it’s overcast. If you’re using the app, it will record which part of your drive was at night.
Can I use high beam in the city?
The rule is about distance to other vehicles, not location. In practice, on lit city and suburban streets there’s almost always a vehicle within 200 metres, and high beam adds little where street lights are on. Keep high beam for dark, open roads.
Is it illegal to drive with fog lights on when there’s no fog?
Yes. Transport Victoria’s summary of Road Rule 217 says you must not use front or rear fog lights unless you’re driving in fog or other hazardous weather that reduces visibility.
Practical night driving habits
These are the habits our instructors see make the biggest difference once learners start driving after dark.
Check lights before you leave
Turn your headlights on, not just the auto setting, and check the dash indicator. DRLs alone leave your tail lights off.
Dip early, not late
If you can see another car’s lights ahead in either direction, switch to low beam. Two hundred metres comes up fast.
Look left in glare
Eyes on the left edge line, foot off the accelerator. Let the car pass and give your eyes a moment.
Stop before you’re tired
Plan breaks every two hours on long drives, and don’t try to push through the early morning hours.
If night driving still makes you nervous after you’ve got your licence, a couple of refresher lessons can help. And if you’re earlier in the process and want to use professional lessons to build the skills your night hours will rely on, our beginner driving lessons start with the basics and build from there. For more on the other checks you’ll face before your Ps, see our complete L to P plate guide.
Nervous about the dark? Practise with a pro.
Our instructors help learners across Mitcham and Melbourne’s east build confident, safe driving habits, from glare and high beam to reading the road when visibility drops. Book a lesson and ask about evening availability.
Sources and further reading
We’ve written this guide from the official sources below. Road rules and licence requirements can change, so treat those pages as the final word and check them if anything here doesn’t match your situation.
- VicRoads: Driving on your Ls
- Transport Victoria: myLearners FAQs
- Transport Victoria: Prepare for your probationary licence
- Transport Victoria: Headlights and high beams
- Transport Victoria: Safe driving tips
- Transport Victoria: Snow and winter driving
- TAC: Tired driving
- TAC: Night driving facts
- TAC: Pedestrians
- Victoria Police: Pedestrians and cyclists
- Youth Central (Victorian Government): Driving on your Ps
- Wildlife Victoria: Driving and wildlife
