It’s inherently harder to drive at night. It’s estimated that drivers are three times more likely to experience a car crash at night compared to during the day.
The low visibility of pedestrians crossing the street or walking along the road in the dark is always a hazard during nighttime driving, and drivers must also cope with issues like blinding high beams from other vehicles and their own fatigue. In addition, there are other factors at play that can cause nighttime drivers to struggle to avoid accidents. Here are two that you may want to consider:
A driver’s night vision can be negatively affected by numerous issues
People have natural night vision and contrast sensitivity, which allows them to see better in dark environments and discern objects in their way (like other vehicles). This ability to see in low-light conditions grows increasingly compromised as someone ages. A driver in their 50s, for example, has far less contrast sensitivity and needs much more light to see clearly after dark than the average 30-year-old driver. That increases the likelihood of an older driver having a nighttime accident.
Younger drivers may also compromise their night vision by using electronics or lights in their cars. A phone, for instance, may be helpful for drivers to navigate the roads, but the phone’s light creates a glare on the car’s windshield, which can make it much harder to see the road. That alone can also lead to wrecks.
Drunk drivers are more commonly on the roads when it’s dark
There’s no question that drunk driving is dangerous, which is why there are many penalties for it. Alcohol lowers people’s ability to see clearly, diminishes their reaction times and impairs their judgment.
Unfortunately, these kinds of drivers are commonly on the road in the evening because that’s when most people are free to do their celebrating. Early mornings, too, are often when drunk driving wrecks happen since many drunk drivers are just heading home from the bars.
A nighttime car wreck can leave you with serious injuries, mounting medical bills, damage to your vehicle and other losses. If this happens to you, it is only wise to learn more about your options to seek compensation.
