When is the most dangerous time to be on the road?
Posted on Tue, Aug 30, 2011
It’s Friday of a long weekend and your work day just ended. You’re off to pack your bags, grab some dinner and off to the cottage you go.
One problem: you’re so busy with the rush to the cottage that you forget to take night time driving conditions into consideration and accidentally rear end the car in front of you. You're now making a phone call to your insurance broker to make an auto claim because you've been involved in an auto accident.
So why is driving at night so dangerous? The one obvious reason is because of the darkness. Our vision, including depth perception, colour recognition and peripheral vision are very limited in the dark. There is usually less traffic at night, but traffic death rates are three times higher at night than during the day. Dusk and dawn are the most difficult times to drive as your eyes are constantly adjusting to the changing light conditions.
Another reason is that our bodies are programmed to go to bed at certain times and start to feel tired as the lights begin to dim. If you are driving past your normal bed time, remember to take extra precaution. It is good to note, that the most dangerous times to be on the road are between midnight and 3am, with 2am being the most dangerous.
Here are some tips for driving at night:
- Don’t drink and drive
- Avoid smoking when you drive
- When in doubt, turn your headlights on
- Reduce your speed
- Increase your following distance
- Make frequent stops for snacks and exercise
- If you’re too tired to drive, stop and rest
- Take your time
- Perform regular maintenance on your vehicle
- Keep headlights, taillights, single lights and windows clean
- Stay focused and limit distractions
If you are driving for work, or have employee's driving on your behalf, whether in a company, employee owned or rental vehicle, you need to download our free Employee Driver Agreement.