Nighttime is by far the most dangerous time to be on the roads. It is dangerous for a variety of reasons: Reduced visibility, driver fatigue, drunk drivers, and age. The people who are most at risk are young inexperienced drivers. Some believe that since headlights are covering the road directly in front of the car that night driving is almost as safe as driving during the day. However, peripheral vision is greatly diminished and the glare from on coming headlights can momentarily blind a person. Also, if headlights are not working properly the increase in danger is exponential. According to a study by the University of Iowa, a 20 to 50% reduction in headlight out put leads to a 90% increase in the possibility of an accident occurring.
The other dangers are sometimes not thought of either. They often occur because of another driver. Fatigue from a long day could set in and you could fall asleep at the wheel. But, did it occur to you that another driver may have the same scenario and they could involve you in their predicament.
Another danger comes from the increased number of people driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Even though people are aware of the danger many of them still decide to drive home drunk.
These reasons are why more then half of all motor vehicle deaths in teenagers happen between 9 pm and 6 am.
