Modern automotive technology has done little to minimise these potentially hazardous effects, but there are a lot of things that can help.
The first step towards boosting night vision is understanding in the first place why it is more difficult to drive when the light is poor.
"Some 90% of the information we need for driving comes through our eyes," says Thomas Wagner, a traffic psychologist who works for Germany's Dekra testing agency.
When vision is limited as a result of darkness or bad weather, the eyes have to adjust. The pupils do not dilate as much in the dark, and as people get older, their retinas stop taking in so much light.
This reduces depth perception and the ability to judge distances as well as impairs colour recognition and peripheral vision.
Three factors come together to make after-dark driving a pain: the driver's age and ability, highway and light conditions, and the behaviour of other road users.
"People driving at night are actually working against the biological clock within the brain," says Matthias Graw, who is president of the German Society for Traffic Medicine.
Those who need to take medication at bedtime should ask a doctor whether it is safe to undertake a lengthy drive at night.
Painkillers containing morphine make the pupils contract, and it is harder to see clearly, especially after dark.
Cataracts can have a similar effect. "This is a clouding of the lens, a gradual process which people often do not notice at first," says Wagner. He advises drivers over age 50 to have their eyes tested by a doctor at regular intervals.
Driving after eye drops have been administered is also fraught. The eyes dilate and vision will usually be be blurred. The impairment can last between four and six hours.
Night blindness is not a complete lack of vision at night, as the name suggests. It refers to a below-average ability to see at night and can be present at birth. It can also be caused by certain drugs or a vitamin A deficiency, explains Wagner. Unfortunately the condition is often not detected during a regular eye test.
A person's ability to see also declines naturally with age.
"Compared to a 20-year-old with a visual capability of 100%, a 60-year-old retains only around 74%," says Wagner. Not surprisingly, many motorists over age 50 need spectacles to drive.
Drivers should have their car headlights checked to ensure they are aimed correctly and turn down the brightness of the lights on the dash - there is a reason why they are fitted with a dimmer switch.
The windscreen should be clean too, since streaks that may not be noticeable during the day can cause serious glare at night. A cotton cloth is ideal for the job, but if need be, a newspaper can also be used to polish glass.
However, even the best lighting set-ups will not help if the driver is too tired to keep his eyes open.
A power nap in a lay-by can work wonders, but only if the sleep is deep, as Graw explains. "If a short break is possible, push back the seat, take the key from the ignition and allow yourself to fall asleep. Keep the key in your hand - if it falls onto the floor, it shows you managed to reach recuperative deep sleep or REM phase."
Strong cups of coffee can help too but remember that the waking effect will kick in between 30 and 40 minutes after consumption.
