Should You Drive Across Country at Night or During the Day?

Driving across the United States can be an enjoyable or miserable experience depending on several factors. Whether you love the highways or love to hate them, there are ways to make your cross-country trip faster and safer, all by deciding whether to do the majority of your driving during the day or at night.

Before you get on the Interstate, you need to ask yourself some questions. Are you driving alone or will you be driving with children or other adults? If making the cross-country trip with your family, are you taking more than one car? How fast to you want to get to your destination? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Do you have a hard time seeing the road at night or while it's raining? Hate dealing with construction? Answering these basic questions will help you make an initial decision on whether you should do most of your interstate driving during the day or at night.

Now that you have made your initial decision, here are some pros and cons for driving on interstate roads at day and at night.

Interstate travel by day

Pros:

You can actually view the scenery.

You have a better chance of seeing the cars in front of you during torrential downpours.

If you have a flexible schedule, you can make stops at various tourist traps along the highway.

Visibility in construction zones where lanes go down to one (with or without concrete barriers) is vastly improved. It also makes driving through these zones less stressful.

Gas stations in very remote areas will be open for business.

You will spot highway patrolmen easier.

If you're navigating with a map instead of a GPS, you will be able to see landmarks easier if you get lost.

Cons:

Traffic is heavier in all areas, but can get congested near big cities.

Kids (and well-watered husbands) will need to pee every half-tank, lengthening your drive time.

Drivers are generally safer at night in my experience. All of the d-bags who like to go 20+ MPH over the speed limit and play chicken with other drivers are nestled in their beds, or at least a bed in a nearby emergency room.

Interstate travel by night

Pros:

As soon as the sun starts to set, traffic on major interstate highways will start to turn into a ghost town, perfect for making good time.

If you're driving during the summer months, you can turn off your AC to save on gas or just enjoy some fresh air.

Kids and other passengers can sleep while you drive. If travelling with other adults, taking turns sleeping will shorten the time it takes to reach your destination.

Cities, even small ones in valleys, look beautiful at night.

Truckers will flash their lights at you after you pass them, letting you know it's safe to get back over. They only do this for fellow truckers during the day.

Cons:

Interstate construction areas, while less crowded, will be more stressful. Driving at night, with everyone in one lane, without lights on the side of the road, and pain-in-the-butt cement blocks will cause aggravation for tens of miles at a time.

There's not much to see.

Some small gas stations in remote areas off of major interstates close around 11:00pm.

If you're at a gas station hundreds of miles away from your home and suddenly discover that your bank has frozen your account because they assumed some nut stole your bank card and is fleeing across country with it, you won't be able to reach anyone at your bank until the morning. Hope you brought cash!

It's easy to start dozing off if you're not used to pulling all-nighters in the comfort of your own home.

I've driven across country close to ten times, from coast to coast each time. I always traveled alone, but last week I made the trek one last time (hopefully) with my husband, my two girls, and our two cats (long story) in two cars. When I was single and had more energy, pulling off long days that extended well into the nights was a cinch. I loved driving at night because hardly anyone was on the road. While I still love driving at night, my husband can't see well in the dark, so we only travelled during daylight hours.

When making the decision, always take into consideration the weakest link during your upcoming trip. Perhaps you are travelling with children who have small tummies, smaller bladders and even smaller amounts of patience when it comes to sitting in one place for hours on end, or maybe you have night blindness. Maybe you suffer from road rage and hate crowded roads. All of these factors will tell you whether you should spend more time on the roads during the day or in the evening.