Be ‘roadwise:’ Safety tips for driving at night

According to research from the National Safety Council, driving at night is more dangerous than any other time of day, with traffic deaths three-times greater at night compared to daytime hours. The reason for this is that driver vision — the most important sense necessary for driving — is compromised at night,  including depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision. Additionally, the glare from an oncoming vehicle with their high beams on can temporally blind a driver.  

Headlights on vehicles can only illuminate about 500 feet (with high beams), and 250 feet for normal headlights. With visibility limited, there is less time to react to something unexpected in the roadway.  Driving at high speeds at night with reduced visibility makes the situation even more dangerous. Drivers should not “out-drive” their headlights. In other words, do not drive faster than you can stop within the distance illuminated by your headlights. At 50 miles per hour it takes about 268 feet to slow down, including the distance traveled during reaction time. That would easily “out-run” the illumination of your normal headlights. Remember that the posted speed limit is the highest legal limit under ideal conditions and not necessarily the highest safe speed. One of the best plans for night driving is to simply drive slower.

To read the full article, subscribe to the Canton Herald or pick up a copy from one of our vendors.