While law abiding, attentive drivers can decrease the risk of accident regardless of the time of day, there are some inherent risks that all drivers run into at night.
Despite 60 percent less traffic on the roads, more than 40 percent of all fatal car accidents happen at night.
We talked with Personal Injury Attorney Craig Swapp about what makes night driving so dangerous.
He says fatigue, driving under the influence and compromised night vision all contribute to making night driving more dangerous. When you add in bad weather, the risk goes up even higher.
For those who are driving at night, be especially attentive to drivers who are drifting in their lane or veering off the road. Safely call the police if you suspect a vehicle is being driven by a drunk driver.
While all drivers suffer a drop in depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision while driving at night, the National Safety Council explains that a 50-year-old driver may need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year-old.
Swapp says drivers should be alert to the signs of being too tired to drive at night. The National Sleep Foundation suggests the following signs as indicators a driver is getting drowsy: Difficult focusing, frequent blinking, trouble remembering the last few miles driven, or feeling restless and irritable.
If you are in an accident, call Craig Swapp & Associates at 800-404-9000 or visit craigswapp.com.
