Driving at Night
Newly qualified drivers are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash at night due to inexperience and reduced visibility.
- This is also the most common time for people to engage in impaired driving and to be fatigued. Newly qualified drivers’ inexperience reduces their ability to avoid a crash when exposed to other drivers behaving unpredictably
- Some countries, including Australia, USA and NZ, have restrictions on newly qualified driving at night (lasting from 6 to 24 months), which has shown to be effective in reducing night-time crashes
Driving in the dark requires different skills from driving during daylight hours. Over 50% of collisions involving young male drivers that result in death or serious injury occur at night. Young drivers double their risk of death or serious injury when driving at night: between 11pm and 6am, over 40% of collisions involving young male drivers are fatal or result in serious injury.
Suggestions to reduce the risks…
- Discuss with your newly qualified driver the increased crash risk posed when driving at night.
- Limiting night driving is an effective way to reduce crash risk.
- Agree limits for driving between 10pm and 6am for your newly qualified driver in their first 12-months of driving—see the Vehicle Access Agreement.
