Data from the National Safety Council suggests that drivers in Nevada and around the country are three times more likely to crash during the nighttime hours. Experts say that this increased accident risk is largely a result of reduced visibility and glare from oncoming headlights. They also point out that quiet nighttime roads add to the dangers as they encourage drivers to exceed posted speed limits.
Motorists driving at night can only see about 500 feet of the road ahead when their high beams are on and about 250 feet of roadway when relying on their regular headlights. This makes avoiding obstacles or debris extremely difficult as a car traveling at 50 mph takes just a few seconds to cover this distance. The problem is more pronounced among older drivers as the eyes deteriorate over time and senior citizens generally need twice as much light to see as well as a person in their 30s.
Fatigue is another nighttime driving danger. Losing an hour of sleep impairs motorists as much as drinking a glass of wine, but studies suggest that drowsy driving is alarmingly common despite these risks being well known. When the National Sleep Foundation polled drivers about fatigue, six out of 10 admitted to regularly getting behind the wheel while tired and more than a third said that they had fallen asleep while driving at least once.
A motorist who has been involved in a serious car accident is rarely willing to admit that they were drowsy and may have fallen asleep. When fatigue seems likely but accident reports are inconclusive, an experienced personal injury attorney might have the vehicles involved in a collision inspected. This is because most modern cars have devices installed that monitor driver behavior and can reveal whether or not any evasive action was taken before a collision.