Less traffic, but more dangers: the night time accounts for less than 10% of the traffic but 44% of fatalities. Discover our tips to drive safely at night.
Driving safely at night
In the country as well as in urban areas, the risk of road accidents is greater at night, partly due to lack of visibility.
The lack of visibility requires to pay more attention and be more vigilant. It must be offset by a number of elements which, combined and used wisely, will ensure you arrive safely.
Risk factors
At dusk beware of:
- Change in visual perception: excellent visual acuity may decline sharply, from 5 to 6/10. For smokers, there is a further decrease in visual acuity of 20-30% due to nicotine.
- Mitigation of contrasts (colours become dull)
- Changing the visual field
- Disruption sense Relief
Other risk factors for the night:
- Glare crossing a vehicle
- The transition zones lit unlit parts (especially the back roads outside urban areas).
Our tips
Reduce your speed. Your low beams are light at 50 meters. This is the minimum stop distance when driving at 70 kph … Beyond this speed, you will not be able to stop before an obstacle …
To avoid glare, crossing a vehicle, look at the right of the road verge. Do not look at the lights of oncoming vehicles in front.
Renounce passing a vehicle in case of doubt (at night, a car oncoming seems further away than it is).
Know the signs of fatigue: itchy eyes, neck and back that stiffen, heavy eyelids … In this case, there is only one solution: stop in a safe place to relax and feel free to sleep twenty minutes in order to recover a bit.
In any case, take a break every two hours. It is not only good for you but also for your ability to see better at night after resting your eyes for a bit.
See you again soon, know you know how to drive safely at night !
(Article created with the support of the French Road Safety Association)
DOWNLOAD THE APP THAT REWARDS DRIVERS
