There are certain times of day when your chance of getting into a crash as you drive is just higher than at other times. You may already know that the afternoon rush hour is a more dangerous time of day, but the most dangerous time is even later than that.
According to traffic safety reports published by the National Safety Council (NSC) online, nighttime is when it is the most dangerous for you to drive. There are numerous elements that contribute to your risk on the road after dark, and the three below are arguably among the most serious safety concerns.
- Drunk drivers
People often start the day sober and then drink later, after finishing work or putting their kids to bed. Drunk driving collisions tend to occur more frequently after dark, as people may either wait until it is dark to drive home in the hopes of not encountering anyone on the road or they have to leave when the business where they had gone drinking closed for the evening.
Late at night, especially between midnight and 3:00 a.m. on the weekends, the possibility of you encountering a drunk driver on the road is higher than that many other times during the day.
- Driver fatigue
If you are on the road much later than you usually would be, your own exhaustion can be a serious safety concern. People who feel fatigued while driving might make bad decisions at the wheel or may fail to notice the vehicle in front of them comes to an abrupt stop in time. Some drivers will even fall asleep at the wheel because of exhaustion. People’s bodies naturally respond to the lack of light by making them tired, which means nighttime driving can be very dangerous.
- Limited visibility
Unless you are in an urban center with ubiquitous lighting, there will be at least some areas where you won’t be able to fully monitor your surroundings because of the dark road conditions. In rural areas, you may be able to rely on your high beams, but in areas with sporadic lighting, you may simply need to be extra cautious about your surroundings.
Identifying and adjusting your behavior to account for the biggest risks on nighttime roads may help you reduce your risk of causing a car crash.
