It is proven that driving your car at night is much more dangerous than doing so during the day. It’s not just paranoia – cmpared to daytime, fatal accidents are three times more likely at night. This is a statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or the NHTSA. The obvious reason that driving at night is so much more dangerous is plain and simple – we cannot see as well in the dark. Read some of our helpful tips and be extra prepared for your next night drive:
Make sure your vision is unobstructed
When driving in darkness, your vision of the road is less than normal, meaning less road to see and less time and room to stop your vehicle. To add to that, street lights and other light sources on the road at night could potentially distract you further. You may confuse them for headlights from cars on the other side of the road. We’ve all driven at night and noticed the glare from bright lights in our windshield. It is important to make sure your view through the windshield is clear and easy to see through in general. When windshields are dirty or damaged, they can scatter light which can increase the effects of glare.
Drive defensively
There are many things you can do in order to drive safely at night. It is always a good idea to try to be extra defensive when driving at night (and in general) in order to be a safe driver and be safe on the road. Always be on high-alert at night, any kind of sleepiness or distraction will reduce your reaction time but quite a bit.
Wake up!
When driving at night, a big factor in your safety is fatigue and drowsiness. It is very common and quite easy to be driving at night when a wave of sleepiness creeps up on you and eventually overtakes your body. Crashes caused by drowsy drivers are most likely going to happen between midnight and 6 am. It is important to either stop and get some rest, stop completely and call it a night, or just get some caffeine, food, or whatever you need to stay alert and awake.
Choose a safer route
One of the scariest things to do at night is to drive on a two-lane highway. According to the NHTSA, these can be a worst-case scenario for glare at nighttime due to the very bright headlights of the oncoming cars’ headlights, along with roads that wind and make sharp turns along with going up and down through hills, and less overall light as well makes an alternate, safer road a much smarter option.
Contact us
Here at Tropical Chevrolet Collision Repair, your safety is our number one priority. We pride ourselves on being a safe and reliable collision repair center and specialize in collision repair, automotive paint, dent removal, and much more. Check out all the services we provide on our website or give us a call at (305) 908-5548.