Although only 15% of vehicle miles are clocked between 7pm and 7am, according to a recent study, they account for almost a third of road injuries and deaths. There’s no doubt that driving in the dark is more dangerous, than during daylight hours. In fact, it has been estimated by the U.S. National Safety Council that traffic death rates are three times greater at night than during the day.
Many drivers believe there is safety to be found in the reduced traffic of night driving and may be unaware of how to deal with the many other challenges of driving at night.
Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from oncoming vehicles can temporarily blind a driver.
Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds.
Originally Posted on Idealease Safety Bulletin