When you drive at night, there are higher risks of an accident because there is lower visibility in the dark. The majority of traffic deaths happen during the night. This occurs for a variety of reasons, such as fatigue, sleepiness, and bad weather. You can avoid being caught in a car crash by taking steps to prevent mistakes and enhance your safety.
Driving Tips You Can Use to Keep You Safe at Night
You should try to increase your awareness of the road before you decide to take a trip at night. After 7 pm, you can consider staying home if there’s bad weather or if you feel tired.
Pay Attention to Pedestrians
At night, pedestrians often walk around and cross streets without looking. They may be with friends talking and distracted or not sober. Not all of them wear brightly colored clothing, and they can slip onto the road between parked cars, nearly unnoticed. Make sure that you slow down at all crosswalks and pay attention to who’s crossing. If you can’t see the sidewalk clearly, drive slowly beside obstacles that may be hiding pedestrians.
Avoid Wildlife
If your streets have signs that alert you to what wildlife is around, pay attention to them. You should drive even slower after you’ve seen a deer crossing sign or another signal that wildlife regularly crosses that road.
Reduce Your Speed
When you are driving at night, you should slow down. To be even safer, keep yourself distanced from other cars to give you ample time to stop if they slam on their brakes.
Clean Your Windshield
Keep your windshield clean so that you can see the road and any hazards correctly. At night, the glare from other cars and street lights can make it difficult to see through a blurry windshield. All you need is a rag and window cleaner to clean both the inside and outside of your car windshield.
Keep Your Lights Maintained
If one of your lights goes out, you should get it replaced immediately. In some states, it’s illegal to drive with only one headlight operational. Do other drivers a favor and don’t put on your bright lights, as that will prevent other drivers from seeing the road at night.
Keep Eyes on the Road
You have to be extra vigilant and pay attention while you are driving. Animals often cross into the road at night, so you have to be sure you can see this long before you run into them to give yourself time to stop. Try to set up your GPS directions on your phone to tell you where to go; this way, you aren’t frequently staring at your phone. You have to keep your eyes focused on the road ahead of you and continually searching for any hazards.
Delay Medications Before Driving
If you are taking a night trip, try to take your prescription medicine after coming home if it is not time-sensitive. Medicine often has many side effects, such as fatigue, drowsiness, migraines, heart issues, and more. If it is time-sensitive, just drive during the day or have a friend or relative drive for you.
Avoid Bad Weather or Drive Slow
In bad weather, accidents are likely to happen because the combination of rain, snow, or wind at night can be bewildering. Rainy weather increases the chances of an accident because the roads are slippery, making it easier to hydroplane when stopping your car. At night time, driving in the snow has been known to cause issues like snow hypnosis. This happens when you stare at snowflakes hitting the windshield. Instead, focus on the road ahead. Additionally, when roads get icy, you need to slow down by two-thirds of the average speed.
Be a Defensive Driver
There is a higher chance of getting into a crash with a drunk driver at night. Because of this, you should become a defensive driver and do your best to avoid getting hit by other drivers. Stay extra alert as you drive at night to make room for the mistakes other drivers on the road make.
Avoid Two-Way Streets With Heavy Traffic
Unless you know streets are mostly empty at night, try to avoid two-lane roads that are busy at night. This is because the glare from oncoming traffic can lower your visibility. Take safer routes that are less likely to have curves or hard-to-see streets.
More Safety Tips for Night Driving
If you want additional advice, you can speak to experienced car accident lawyers. They have great resources that can help prevent you from getting into a bad car accident. If you have been in an accident recently, you can consult with an attorney to learn what steps to take.