While it is not negligent to drive at night, the fact is that, car accidents are more likely to happen at night. The dark of night reduces visibility, which lowers your reaction time to hazards in the road ahead, especially at higher speeds.
Other factors contribute to nighttime car accidents — fatigue and other forms of impairment, headlight glare, rush hour traffic, etc. — but it’s generally recognized that more than half of traffic deaths happen at night. It is one reason why New Jersey’s Graduated Driver License (GDL) program bars teenagers with probationary driver’s licenses from driving between 11:01 p.m. and 5 a.m.
A car accident attorney from Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, PC can help if you or a family member were injured in a car accident at night. Since 1988, we have helped more than 40,000 individuals and families recover from devastating accidents and injuries. We can investigate the cause of the accident and help you seek money damages for your injuries and other losses. Contact us today for a free initial legal consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer.
Key Risk Factors Contributing to Nighttime Car Crashes
Factors that experts frequently cite as making nighttime driving more hazardous include:
- Reduced visibility – Driving at night is dangerous because visibility is limited to about 250 feet with headlights (500 feet with high beams), which reduces reaction time for sudden hazards.
- Compromised night vision – It gets harder to see at night as we age. A 50-year-old driver may need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year-old. After the age of 60 and beyond, driving becomes even more difficult, according to the American Optometric Association. Glare from headlights, poor roadside lighting, rainy weather, and wet roadways increase the problem.
- Fatigue – It’s natural to become sleepy at night and in darkness. The National Sleep Foundation says any driver can become fatigued, but 55 percent of drowsy driving crashes involve drivers under 25 years old.
- Rush hour traffic – During fall, the evening commute occurs just as it begins to get dark, and during winter, rush hour’s bumper-to-bumper traffic takes place in darkness. In addition to compromised visibility, drivers in the evening rush hour are fatigued after a day’s work.
- Alcohol and drugs – Drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs are more likely to be on the road at night, particularly between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. on weekends, the National Safety Council says.
Preventative Measures: Reducing Your Risk of a Nighttime Accident
Here are a few night driving safety tips to reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents at night:
- Compensate for reduced visibility by slowing down and increasing the following distance between you and the car ahead of you.
- Keep your eyes moving. Do not focus on the middle of the area illuminated by your headlights.
- If the driver of an oncoming vehicle fails to dim their lights, look down toward the right side of the road until the vehicle passes.
- Check your headlights for yellowing or clouding. If the bulb is difficult to see, have the lens replaced or restored. Make sure your headlights are aimed to maximize forward lighting and minimize glare for other drivers.
- If it’s safe to do so, pull over or find a place to stop if you are feeling drowsy behind the wheel.
Involved in a Car Accident at Night? Contact Our New Jersey Car Accident Attorneys for Help
Don’t wait to get the legal help you need after a nighttime car accident in New Jersey. The experienced attorneys at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. are ready to fight for the results you deserve. We have 25 personal injury attorneys who are ready to support your case, and we have recovered over $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients, including many car accident victims.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation at 1-800-LAW-2000, via email at info@dsslaw.com, or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation about your options and how we can help with your auto accident claim. Our firm offers free, no-obligation consultations and second opinions, and has offices throughout New Jersey and New York City. We’re happy to meet you in person at one of our offices or virtually via FaceTime or Zoom. If English is not your first language, we’re happy to offer translation services in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Korean, Albanian, Polish, Russian, and more. There’s no charge for the consultation, and we only get paid if we win money for you.
