Some people think that driving at night is actually safer than driving during the day because there are generally fewer people on the road. However, driving at night is actually more dangerous than driving during the day for this very reason. Because there are fewer cars on the road, drivers tend to go faster, and increased speed often leads to more collisions. Also, it’s important to remember that we don’t see as well at night, and decreased vision and visibility make us more prone to collisions.
The decreased level of light at night causes a person’s pupils to dilate, which can result in blurred vision and/or eye fatigue. A person’s depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision also decrease at night, which makes it more difficult for a person to detect hazards or react quickly.
To reduce your risk of a collision at night, you should always slow down and make sure you can stop within the distance lit by your headlights. Going so fast that your stopping distance is greater than the distance you can see by your headlights is called overdriving your headlights, and it’s a very dangerous thing to do.
Keep in mind that bright headlights can blind other nighttime drivers momentarily and put them in danger, so lower or dim your headlights when you’re within 500 feet of an approaching vehicle or when following within 300 feet behind another vehicle. Try not to look directly at the headlights of approaching cars. Instead, look to the lower right side of the lane you’re traveling in to avoid losing good nighttime vision.
If you need to park your car on an unlit highway at night, you should leave your low beams or parking lights on.
Taking an online defensive driving course or an insurance discount course is a great way to help prepare you for any type of driving situation! Click here to visit our website to see the online courses we offer in your state!
Some people think that driving at night is actually safer than driving during the day because there are generally fewer people on the road. However, driving at night is actually more dangerous than driving during the day for this very reason. Because there are fewer cars on the road, drivers tend to go faster, and increased speed often leads to more collisions. Also, it’s important to remember that we don’t see as well at night, and decreased vision and visibility make us more prone to collisions.