Many New Jersey motorists are seriously injured in car accidents that happen during the daytime hours. Research demonstrates that fewer people would be involved in accidents during the day if everyone used their headlights every time they drove.
Driving with the headlights turned on is only required at night and during inclement weather. There is no law requiring that drivers use them at all times, unlike in Europe and Canada. Researchers have shown that headlight use during the daytime hours results in a reduced incidence of accidents. It is thought that headlight use during the day helps to make cars more visible.
According to one study, daytime headlight use was associated with a 5.7 percent decrease in the number of two-vehicle crashes. Similarly, motorcycle crashes dropped by 23 percent, and pedestrian accidents decreased by 12 percent. In Europe, daytime headlight use was correlated with a 37 percent decrease in accidents involving left turns. Multiple-vehicle collisions in Canada showed an 11 percent decline because of daytime headlight use.
Even though it has been well-established that driving with headlights turned on reduces the accident rate, there isn’t a law in the U.S. that mandates daytime running lights as standard features in cars. Drivers can help to reduce their own chances of accident involvement by always turning on their headlights whenever they drive. Even if a law was passed, it would take years before all of the cars on the road had daytime running lights, leaving it largely up to drivers to choose to drive with their headlights on. People who are involved in accidents with negligent drivers may want to talk to personal injury lawyers who can help them seek compensation for the losses that they have incurred.
