In at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a driving device for a discharge lamp includes an alternating current supply section and a frequency modulation section. The alternating current supply section supplies two electrodes of the discharge lamp with an alternating current. The alternating current comprises a plurality of modulation periods. The frequency modulation section modulates a frequency of the alternating current so as to provide a plurality of retentive periods within each of the modulation periods. Each retentive period has a constant frequency that is different from a frequency of its temporally adjacent retentive periods. The frequency modulation section shortens a length of at least one of the retentive periods in the modulation period in response to a predetermined condition occurring. The frequency of at least one of the retentive periods is equal to or less than a predetermined reference frequency.