THE DARK SIDE OF DRIVING

In the midst of an overall fatality decrease, another trend has gone largely unnoticed--the upswing in the percentage of nighttime accidents. Night has always been more dangerous than day for road users and now it appears it is becoming increasingly so. This article examines data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) on nighttime accidents with respect to driver age, single vehicle involvement, pedestrian fatalities, multiple vehicle involvement, and vehicle type. Examination of the factors that play a role in nighttime accident and fatality causation reveals that those which predominate at night are alcohol, inadequate visibility, and driver fatigue. Recommendations are made concerning various countermeasures to effectively deal with these accident causes.