Driving at night can increase the risk of Florida car accidents, for many reasons:
1) Fatigue. Driving late at night can mean driving at a time when the body is naturally tired and ready to go to sleep. If you are driving past the time when you normally would go to bed, especially, you may be fighting your natural rhythm. Many drivers who fall asleep at the wheel do so driving late at night.
2) Animals. Many animals – including deer and raccoons, to name only two – are most active at dusk and dawn. When these animals run out into the road, drivers often have only seconds to react. Combined with the darkness and poor visibility of the night, this can be a fatal combination, especially on rural roads, which are more likely to be dark and more likely to have animals on them.
3) Glare. Glare can occur from many things, including a dirty windshield, eye glasses problems, vision problems, high beams, and other reasons. When it occurs, through, it is difficult to focus on the road and difficult to see well enough to drive.
4) Shadows and poor visibility. Poor visibility due to darkness can cause all sorts of problems for drivers. Drivers may feel nervous when driving along dark stretches of road or may not see enough to anticipate hazards ahead. When pedestrians and bicyclists do not wear reflective clothing on dark roads, Florida bicycle accidents and pedestrian accidents are the tragic result.
5) High beams from other drivers. On rural roads especially, some drivers leave their high beams on at all times. This effectively blinds oncoming drivers and can cause a serious accident.
6) Vision problems. Many vision problems are worse at night. For example, some people with vision problems see halos or a glare around objects in the dark. Eye glasses can give off a glare in the dark and any flaws in corrective lenses – such as scratches – can be more visible in the dark. If you have any vision problems, it is important to visit a doctor every year for a check up to ensure that your corrective lenses are in good shape.
7) Lack of training. Most driving classes take place in the daytime and all driver tests take place during the day. As a result, most new drivers do not have their night driving skills tested extensively. With time, drivers gain confidence and experience with night driving. However, since night driving is under-tested it is a good idea to give your teen driver some night driving lessons. In many cases, private lessons are available for this particular skill.
We all need to drive at night at some point. However, it is important to be alert that the night time does pose some added dangers. If you do not have to drive at night, avoid doing so, especially along darker highways and roads where visibility can be especially bad. If you have teen drivers in your home, make sure that they have adequate training before driving alone at night.
If you have been in a Florida car accident, contact the Flaxman Law Group to arrange a free accident consultation to discuss your case. The Flaxman Law Group has helped thousands of car accident and personal injury victims in South Florida, out of offices in Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood. Call today to find out what the Flaxman Law Group can do for you.