There is a mistaken sense of security that comes with driving on rural roads, and that can actually be considered a large part of their danger. You might think traveling on roads with much less traffic is safer, but in reality, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that twice as many accidents happen in rural areas than urban ones. The increase in alcohol related crashes could be as much as 75 percent higher, along with a much lower rate of seat belt use. All if the dangers you encounter from rural areas are multiplied at night, when you add darkness to the mix. Street lights are few and far between, and it can be necessary to rely on your vehicle’s safety features to protect you. If you’re making a nighttime journey on a deserted road, these are the things you have to think about.
1. Accident Risks
While the false sense of security drivers get on rural roads might be the greatest risk for accidents, it’s definitely not the only one. Weather can be much more of a factor in rural areas due to elevation or simply because visibility is already more of an issue. There’s also the chance of wildlife-related accidents. Many drivers don’t realize that a single deer or even a low-flying bird can actually total your car if hit, and at night it’s much more difficult to watch out for them. Rural roads often come with blind curves and can be partially paved or unpaved, because they’re built to cause the least amount of disturbance possible to the area around them.
2. Safety Precautions You Should Be Taking
If you’re passing through a rural area at night, the most important precautions you can take are making sure your car has enough gas, properly inflated tires, a tire jack and spare, and jumper cables in the truck. Many cars now come equipped with a GPS system, but when you’re traveling somewhere isolated, you don’t want to depend on technology. Keep a paper map in your glove compartment in case GPS and cell phones lose reception. In the dark, it’s especially important to have working high beams, but if you’re driving a larger vehicle, that might not be enough. Light bars, lamps, and LED fog lights on trucks and work vehicles can work well for increasing visibility and looking out for animals. Remember that it’s sometimes difficult to draw accurate maps of rural areas, so you could encounter the unexpected.
3. In Case of a Break Down
If your car or truck breaks down on a rural road at night, you should be able to tell the authorities where you are. Remember the last sign you passed or about how long you’ve been driving since the last major city, as well as any identifying features of the surrounding area. Keep your doors locked and inform anyone who stops to help that someone is on the way. It’s always possible that cell phone reception will be unavailable, but you should make sure your phone is charged anyway. If you can’t call and you remember passing a phone box, you may be able to walk back to it. But never strike out on your own at night with no clear destination and expose yourself to more dangers – it’s almost always safer to wait until the sun comes up.
It takes much longer for a medical response team to reach a rural area and locate your car than it would in a city, which is another reason why driving at night requires extra caution. You might think the crowded freeways are the number one place where drivers need to be on their guard, but the peaceful rural roads can come with hidden hazards after the sun goes down.
– Dan Nielson
