It’s more dangerous to drive at night. Accident statistics show that about half of all drunk driving accidents that result in fatalities happen after dark, for example. There’s far less traffic at night, but this is part of what makes accident rates so high.
In any case, you may have no choice but to drive at night, so you want to know how to do so safely. Staying sober is a great first step, but you do have to share the road with impaired drivers. Here are some other steps you can take to increase your safety even more.
Slow down
Give yourself a little more time to react to events ahead of you. It can be difficult to see and reduced visibility can slow down your reaction times. Reducing your speed gives you that time back so that you can avoid a crash.
Adjust your lights
You also want to check your headlights to make sure that they are the right bulbs for the vehicle and that they’re adjusted at the proper height. High beams that are angled too low aren’t going to give you nearly as much visibility, for example.
Limit your distractions
Because of the reduced visibility and the increased risk, you definitely do not want to get distracted. Leave your phone off for the duration of the drive. Turn the music down. Set your GPS before you leave the house. If you have to talk to passengers, do not turn your eyes away from the road to do so.
Naturally, you can do all of this and still be hit by an impaired driver, leaving you with serious injuries. If this does happen, you need to know how you can seek financial compensation from the other driver.
