Did you know there is a significant safety difference between traveling during the day and in the evening
While we do only one quarter of our driving at night, 50% of traffic deaths happen at night. It doesn’t matter whether the road is familiar or not, driving at night is always more dangerous.
Some things to be aware of regarding evening driving:
- Most crashes or near-misses happen at the times you would expect drivers to be tired: 4 to 6 a.m., midnight to 2 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., according to NSF.
- Approximately 58% of fatal accidents are speeding related. Of those accidents, 21% took place during the daytime, while 37% took place during the nighttime.
- The majority of teen involved crashes, 58%, occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.
Why is driving in the evening more dangerous?
There are several factors that make driving at night more challenging.
Fatigue. It’s not surprising to hear fatigue plays a role in nighttime car crashes yet only 60 percent of adults admit to driving when fatigued, according to the National Sleep Foundation. What’s more alarming is 37 percent, or about 103 million drivers, report falling asleep at the wheel.
Darkness. Drivers face more challenges after sunset as depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision are all limited in the dark. This is especially true of older and elderly drivers. A 50-year old might need about twice as much light to see like a 30-year old.
Rush hour traffic. During the hours between 4 and 7 p.m. there are more cars on the road and less light.
Impaired drivers. Drivers under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is another big factor which increases nighttime car accidents. This is why nearly 30 people are killed daily in crashes involving impaired drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also important to know – Pennsylvania law requires drivers to use headlights from sunset to sunrise and in other conditions like adverse weather conditions.
Cordisco & Saile is committed to driver safety. We help accident victims in Pennsylvania and New Jersey pursue compensation from an at-fault driver if another driver is to blame for the accident. Contact our office at 215-515-0776 or contact us online to set up a consultation.
