Are Dusk and Dawn Car Accidents Accurately Counted?

These measures include street lighting, reflective strips on signs, and larger and more visible signage. According to Evari, Federal Highway Administration data show that more street lighting can significantly mitigate nighttime collisions at rural and urban intersections and on highways, helping prevent injuries among both pedestrians and motorists.

As a report by Streetsblog notes, 76% of pedestrian fatalities are the result of nighttime crashes, though it’s possible that many of these in fact happen at dawn or dusk. In comments to Streetsblog, the Evari report’s author criticized transit policymakers for undervaluing the effectiveness of street lights as a safety measure; according to Streetsblog, “the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recognized the common streetlight… as a ‘proven safety countermeasure‘ for just last year.”

“Traffic engineers don’t generally see lighting as a safety improvement, or at least it’s not at the forefront of their minds… It’s been largely left up to the lighting professionals,” said the report’s author. “And the street lighting industry will say safety is a component, but in practice, several other things are put ahead of it in line.”

More information on the data suggesting more motor vehicle accidents occur at dusk and dawn than have previously been reported is available via Evari and Streetsblog.

Contact our White Plains accident lawyers to discuss your case.