3 Lifesaving Tips for Driving at Night

Your ability to see drastically drops at night, and 90 per cent of how you react relies on your vision. When the sun isn’t up, we’re naturally less alert, our vision weakens, and the fatality rate of night driving triples that of daytime driving. Statistically speaking, of all fatal car accidents, 49 per cent of them occur at night.

Even if you aren’t tired, or you’re on a familiar road, there are dangers you must be aware of if you’re driving in the dark. These tips will drastically reduce your risk of encountering a problem behind the wheel:

Distance Yourself

There are fewer cars on the road at night, however the probability of getting into an accident is higher, especially if you’re following someone too closely. Tail riding could make other drivers nervous, which means that they’ll be more likely to react sporadically to something on the road – a wreck that could involve you. Additionally, the closer you’re driving to them, the more distracting your headlights are, thus limiting their visibility and putting both of you in danger.

Keeping your distance will ensure that you won’t blind other drivers with your headlights, or hit them if they come to a sudden stop. If you find yourself in a situation where someone is too close to you, let them pass and continue focusing on your speed and what’s ahead.

Stay Alert

A recent poll conducted shows that 60 per cent of adults have driven while feeling tired. Most nighttime accidents happen when people are drowsy – in the early morning or very late at night. Lay down your gadgets, grab a coffee, and keep your attention on who and what is around you. If you’re feeling sleepy, crack a window or pull over for a rest. If you have a passenger along with you, switch the driving duties or start a conversation to snap you out of any tiredness. In addition to this, the percentage of drunk drivers on the road when it’s dark outside spikes, which is another reason to take extra caution when driving in the dark.

Constantly check your surroundings, be watchful of distractions, and keep aware of any impaired drivers around you, because staying alert will influence how safely you react to situations on the road.

Carry a Roadside Emergency Kit

While people only do one quarter of their driving at night, half of all fatal road accidents happen while driving in the dark. If you don’t have an emergency kit in your car, especially if you’re planning a long trip where you’ll be required to drive overnight, assembling one yourself or buying a pre-packaged kit from a hardware store could save your life in the case of an emergency.

Although today’s vehicles are known for being incredibly reliable, it’s still very possible to get into a situation where your tire will burst, your battery will die, or an act of nature will force you to pull over until help arrives – an emergency kit will help you de-stress while you wait for help. To learn more about emergency car kits, and the essentials that you should keep in them, click here.

Whether you’re hitting the road before sunrise, planning a long drive through the night, or coming home late on any given evening, it’s crucial that you stay alert, keep your distance and carry an emergency kit in your car to reduce your risk of encountering a serious problem while driving in the dark.