Accident Reconstruction - Dusk/Dawn/Night Considerations
November 21st 2022
It is no secret that driving during dusk/dawn/night (DDN) conditions places increased demands on the human visual system. When dealing with a DDN case, below are some factors that the Accident Reconstructionist needs to consider.
At night, the human visual system has a reduced capacity for distinguishing between objects in the visual field.
Contrast sensitivity is what enables a driver to distinguish objects at night, so in order to be seen at night, objects must be sufficiently brighter or darker than their backgrounds, and they must be conspicuous.
Sufficient intensity is required for an object to be identified at night, as well as for a driver to process this information. If the stimulus is not strong enough, the driver would either not respond, or the response time would be longer.
It is not uncommon given the above conditions coupled with high beam glare that a driver may fail to react until after having entered a point of no escape.
Other factors the Accident Reconstructionist must consider in DDN cases include (but are not limited to) understanding the phases of twilight, moon phasing, illumination, expectancy violations, the first point of possible perception, and the first point of possible perception of a situational hazard. The expert should also have experience, training, and/or education in Human Factors when working on a DDN case.
If you have a DDN case you would like to speak to about with our Human Factors and Accident Reconstruction teams, contact us today.
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