Driving at Night Causes Automobile Accidents
Auto accidents are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 34. Unlike an airplane crash that kills one hundred or more people at once and makes headline news, most automobile accidents kill only one or two people at a time, but there are hundreds of them every day. When you add them up over 100 people die each day in auto accidents in the US. Annually, auto accidents kill more than 40,000 people. According to Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “The simple fact is, getting behind the wheel of a car is the riskiest thing most people do every day.”” Taking the necessary safety measures is essential to decrease the risk of an accident, you may be interested in checking out used heavy trucks for sale in alberta, and if you would like to be more road safety then the vehicle you drive has a big impact on how safe the road is.
While there are many reasons auto accidents occur, one reason stands out above the rest and compounds your chances of having an auto accident. That reason is driving at night. Driving at night may be the single riskiest activity we do in our lifetime. Whilst it might be risky, a lot of people have good reasons to drive at night. As long as they take their time and drive carefully, they should hopefully avoid an accident. However, accidents can be unpredictable. If you’re caught up in a car accident and your car gets damaged, you might want to consider looking for a new vehicle eventually. Following an accident, you might not want to spend a fortune on a car. If that’s the case, it might be worth looking for used cars in Hutchinson, KS, or somewhere more local to you. By purchasing a used car, it should be more affordable. Hopefully though, you’ll drive safely enough that you won’t need to purchase a new car anytime soon. Be sure to read these common reasons for car accidents and try to avoid them.
The first reason that driving at night is such a hazard is reduced visibility. Anyone who as ever driven at night could argue that it is much more difficult to see than it is in the daytime. Poorly lit highways, dirty headlamps, and the glare of oncoming headlights can reduce your visibility and thus cut your reaction time as much as in half. As well as all this, passing on the right during the night is also something that makes driving more difficult. An approaching vehicle that has failed to dim their bright lights can eliminate your vision entirely for a brief but critical period of a few seconds.
Compounding the reduced visibility is the fact that people are much more likely to have been drinking in the evening or during night hours. Only 1 in 5 crashes that happen during the day are alcohol related while over 50% of the crashes that happen at night involve the use of alcohol. This statistic alone should cause you to hesitate when deciding whether or not to make that quick, unnecessary trip in the car at night if it could just as easily wait until morning.
Another reason driving at night is hazardous is because bad weather and poor road conditions are exacerbated when driving at night. More than any seasonal weather factor such as snow or ice, more weather-related accidents happen at night than in the day. Nothing will make you regret not replacing your worn out windshield wipers faster than getting caught in heavy rain on the highway at night and not being able to see out of your windshield for the glare.
Yet another overlooked reason that driving at night is particularly dangerous is that in suburban and rural areas, nocturnal creatures pose a hazard and many single vehicle auto accidents can be attributed to losing control of your car while trying to avoid striking an animal as small as a squirrel with your car. Larger animals like black bear, wild boar, deer and other animals are mostly active during the night when the cover of darkness provides safety for them.
Finally a reason for night time auto accidents is falling asleep at the wheel or “drowsy driving”. Drowsy driving is also much more likely to happen at night, in the early morning hours as “shift worker” exhausted from a long day of work are on the road. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue each year. This results in an estimated 1,550 deaths.
Ultimately, accidents on the road can have tragic consequences. Being unable to work after a car accident can lead to various financial difficulties. However, did you know that disability insurance protects you financially if injury or illness limits your ability to work? For more information about disability insurance, go to www.meetbreeze.com.
These are the main reasons why driving at night is the single greatest threat to your life and health you will encounter. If you must drive at night, please do so only when absolutely necessary. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an auto accident in Huntsville, Decatur, Athens, Cullman or Scottsboro, Alabama, do not hesitate to call our skilled and experienced personal injury attorneys for a free assessment of your situation. Call now 1-800-752-1998 or 256-534-3435. We are experienced auto accident lawyers. Please call or email us today. Our consultations are free. We can visit you or your loved one at a hospital, residence, or workplace. We have the skill and resources to pursue all claims and compensation available to you and are here to help you.
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Huntsville, AL 35801
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Decatur, AL 35601
Our auto accident attorneys serve every city and county in the State of Alabama