As Daylight Diminishes, Car Accidents Increase in Number Every year the same thing happens in Monterey County when the sun goes down earlier as winter approaches: the number of car crashes increases. Why is this so predictable? Because drivers are more dangerous when they’re driving in the dark, and every year as daylight savings time approaches, the frequency of injury-causing car crashes also increases. Fortunately for those who are paying attention to the increased risk of car crash, there are a few things you can do to lessen your chances of being involved in a car crash. If Possible, Avoid Driving in the Dark Attorney Ryan J. Miller has helped countless people throughout California recover physically and financially following an accident. A good injury lawyer in your corner can make navigating life after a car crash or other accident much easier. Driving in the dark is more dangerous than driving in daylight and there’s no way around it. In Monterey County, and throughout the Central Coast of California, single-lane roads predominate, often with little or no shoulder to rely on for a buffer. Drivers become impatient with slow moving vehicles, often farm-related trucks, and sometimes drivers ignore double yellow lines and attempt to pass when passing is not legal. Also, rear-end accidents are more common in the dark, as people’s depth perception is often impaired in the dark, and the ability to properly evaluate how much distance to allow between your vehicle and the car in front of you is often diminished due to darkness. Finally, some people are just plain bad drivers and their awareness of space and time is poor; for these people, driving in the dark only makes things worse, as they have fewer visual clues as to the proximity of their vehicle to their surroundings. Darkness comes earlier and earlier this time of year in Monterey County, and tragically car accidents rise in frequency with the shorter days. Driving at Night Doesn’t Require Multiple Vehicles to be Dangerous In August of this year, a Salinas woman died in her vehicle on Molera Road around 11 at night after her vehicle struck a power pole and burst into flames. Not much is known about the crash, as tragically the driver was pronounced dead at the scene by CHP, but fortunately her two passengers survived the crash. It is notable that the crash happened at 11 pm, long after the sun had set. Early Morning Driving, Already Dangerous, Is In The Dark This Time of Year Already a dangerous time of day, the early morning commute begins to be made more and more in the dark as the sun rises later, and this becomes especially true as daylight savings time kicks in. A couple weeks ago, a tragic fatal car accident between Marina and Salinas on a single-lane farm road (Cooper Road) resulted in the death of a woman. Two other adults were taken to the hospital, and a child was taken first to the airport in Marina and then rushed to San Francisco for medical treatment. This kind of tragedy is not uncommon in head-on collisions, and those of us who have lived in Monterey for a long time recognize a pattern of accidents that happen early in the morning on single lane roads. What To Do If You’re Injured in a Car Crash? With the frequency of car crashes increasing as daylight hours are fewer, more people are injured in car crashes during the fall and winter months of the year. In Monterey County, this is predictable. If you’re injured, you should first make sure you get the medical attention you need. You should contact your auto insurance, and make sure you get the auto insurance information of the person you were involved in an accident with. Take photos if you can, document your injuries and your expenses, and speak with an injury lawyer if you feel you are entitled to compensation for your injuries. A good personal injury lawyer in Monterey County will make sure you’re paid not only for pain and suffering, but also for lost wages and the cost of all bills that can reasonably be attributed to your car crash. The best case scenario is to avoid getting in the crash in the first place, which is the reason for this blog post. Driving at night, or in the dark, is simply more dangerous, and all of us are at increased risk for an accident when we spend more time on the roads after dark. The good news is that a skilled attorney can help present your case in a way most favorable to your interests, and if you’re injured in Monterey at least you know who to turn to for advice and guidance, as The Lions Injury Lawyers have helped many locals get fair compensation for their injuries.

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