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Darkness and Deer Driving Hazards
As summer turns into fall, daylight hours are
reduced and deer become more active. Both of these can present driving
hazards. |
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Night
Driving Why
is night driving so dangerous? One answer is the darkness
itself. According to the National Safety Council, 90 percent of
a driver’s reaction depends on vision - and vision is limited
at night. Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral
vision all are compromised after sundown. Older drivers
especially have difficulties driving at night. Another
dangerous factor is fatigue. Drowsiness slows reaction times and
because the body thinks of night as the time to rest, you may
become increasingly groggy while driving at night.
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Fortunately, you can take several steps to minimize the risks of driving at night. The council recommends the following: •
Prepare your vehicle for night driving. Clean headlights, tail
lights, signal lights and windows at least once a week. •
Make sure your headlights are properly aimed. Misaimed
headlights blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see
the road. • Reduce your speed and increase your following distance. Judging the speed and distance of other vehicles is more difficult at night than during the day. •
Don’t overdrive your headlights. You should be able to stop in
the illuminated area. •
When following another vehicle, keep your low beam headlights on
so you don’t blind drivers ahead of you. •
If an oncoming vehicle doesn’t lower its beams from high to
low, avoid glare by watching the right edge of the road and
using it as your guide. •
Don’t ever drink and drive. Alcohol impairs your driving
ability and also acts as a depressant that may lead to fatigue. •
Avoid smoking while driving. Smoke’s nicotine and carbon
monoxide hamper night vision. •
If you’re too tired to drive any farther, stop and rest
awhile.
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Deer
Crossing While
November is the month with the highest risk for a vehicle-deer
collision, such accidents can happen any time of the year, and
the effects can be costly. Approximately 200 people die each year from collisions with deer, and the economic cost to Americans is more than $1 billion annually. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that about 275,000 motor vehicle crashes involving an animal occurred in 2005. Department
of Transportation officials in eight states want those numbers
to go down. The newly formed Deer-Vehicle Crash Information
Research Center Pooled Fund Project is headed by a committee of
officials from |
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DOT offers the following tips to help avoid vehicle-deer collisions: •
Slow down and prepare to stop as soon as you see a deer.
Stopping your vehicle is safer than taking evasive action. Also,
slow down if other cars are behaving differently. •
When you spot a deer, watch for more. Deer frequently travel in
groups. •
Know that deer are nocturnal and often travel at dawn and at
dusk. Many deer-vehicle crashes occur between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. •
When driving at night, watch for reflectors from your
headlights. Deer eyes may reflect the light, and spotting the
reflection could give you more reaction time. Use your bright
lights when no traffic is approaching. •
For maximum safety, assume deer will cross your path. •
Do not swerve into another lane to avoid striking a deer. It is
better to strike a deer than another vehicle or a fixed object. •
If you hit a deer, call 911 and wait for assistance from law
enforcement personnel. Permission
to reprint granted by the National Safety Council, a
membership organization dedicated to protecting life and
promoting health.
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