Driving at night proves dangerous

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 2007

Now that we have set the clocks back to standard time--at least until March 9, 2008--findings from a survey conducted by Kelton Research on behalf of Road & Travel Magazine raise concerns for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians about what people may not be seeing while driving in the dark. Some 32% of drivers say they have trouble seeing all or most of the time at night; 26%, signs or exits; and 20%, animals, pedestrians, and turns in the road. Twenty-two percent report difficulty in judging distance.

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"Driving in the dark is one of the most hazardous situations faced by a driver," observes Courtney Caldwell, founder and editor-in-chief of Road & Travel Magazine. "Roads with low or no lighting, glare from headlights, and fluctuations in vision are contributing factors to the disproportionately high rate of car accidents and fatalities that occur between dusk and dawn." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Safety Council cite the fatality rate at night (6 p.m.-6 a.m.) to be three times higher than the daytime rate.

Respondents complained of eyestrain (38%), dry or tired eyes (34%), fatigue (25%), headaches (19%), inability to focus (18%), and double or blurred vision (15%) while driving after sunset. Sixty-one percent say that headlights from oncoming traffic or from cars behind them particularly are bothersome, and 48% report experiencing glare or light sensitivity.

"Low light levels cause an eye's pupil to dilate, which can accentuate any existing focusing problems and result in blurred vision;' explains Los Angeles-based optometrist Elise Brisco. "This is more common among people with astigmatism because the shape of the cornea prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, often leading to blurred vision, which can impair a driver's speed of visual reaction time and affect the ability to quickly identify and localize possible hazards on the road."