Driving at night can be dangerous with lower visibility and irresponsible drivers making the roads harder to navigate safely warned Ernest North, co-founder of Naked, an artificial intelligence-driven insurance platform.
“It’s thus important for everyone to drive carefully after the sun goes down.”
According to Ernest, data from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) showed that a higher proportion of fatal accidents happen at night than during the day. The RTMC’s data also reveals that the risk for fatal crashes attributed to alcohol is significantly greater at night than during the day compared to accidents attributed to speeding and all other driver risks.
“It is important to educate drivers and highlight the importance of nighttime driving safety,” said North. He said one way to do so is to attend safety and driving courses.
“Courses aim to equip drivers with the knowledge and skills needed to deal with the different risks and challenges posed by nighttime driving.”
Ernst says one of the major challenges is our ability to see obstacles such as potholes, pedestrians and wildlife is compromised at night.
“Our ability to judge speed and distance in the dark is worse than during the day. Non-existent or non-working streetlights and the poor state of some of our roads increase the risks.
“We also can’t underplay the role of the human element. At nighttime, you’ll be sharing the road with a higher proportion of drunken, and fatigued drivers. They may speed or drive more aggressively because there are fewer cars on the road. Criminal activity also increases after dark. It’s much harder to see if criminals are lurking in the dark or have placed obstacles in the road to cause you to crash so they can hijack your car.”
Naked’s data shows that drivers aged below 35 tend to have a higher proportion of their accidents at night, which can be explained by their lifestyle and lack of driving experience. There are more accidents involving just one vehicle, due to factors such as driver fatigue, poor visibility and drunkenness.
“It’s interesting to note that many traditional insurers levy penalty excesses for accidents after 22:00, accidents that didn’t involve another car, and accidents from drivers that had their license for less than 12 months,” he said.
“This confirms how significant these risks are — and it’s not unusual for accidents to feature all three.”
North said that law enforcement can play a major role in reducing accidents at night. Roadblocks to discourage drunk driving, patrols of crime hot spots, and checks for road traffic offences can all help reduce accidents.
“Ultimately, it’s up to each driver to take responsibility and manage the night drive risk factors that are within their control,” he added.
“New technology and advanced driver assistance systems can also help drivers with newer cars to navigate roads more safely at night.
“Examples include adaptive light control, which uses sensors to adjust to darkness without disturbing oncoming traffic, and driver drowsiness detection, which monitors the driver’s behaviour to detect signs of fatigue and prompts them to take a break if needed.”
Ernst offered some tips about how to drive more safely at night:
• Get your eyes tested regularly, especially as you age
• Avoid driving when you’re tired, especially at night
• It’s best to not drink alcohol at all when you need to drive, even if it would be under the legal limit
• Drive within the speed limit and possibly more slowly than you would during the day
• Regularly check that all your lights are in good working order, including tail and brake lights
• Check that your windscreen wipers are working well
• If possible, don’t drive when it’s raining at night. If there’s a massive downpour, seek a safe place like a petrol station to wait it out
• Be careful when using your bright lights or high beams so you don’t accidentally blind other drivers with the glare
• Plan your route ahead of time and avoid crime hot spots
• Look out for drivers skipping stop signs or red lights and potential criminals at intersections
• If you can’t avoid a long journey at night, plan for frequent stops (15 minutes every two hours) to rest
