Are Car Crashes More Common at Night?

July 23, 2025 | Sagi Shaked | Car Accidents

Many factors contribute to car accidents, including weather, lighting, and risky driving. Instinctively, you might think that more crashes happen at night when darkness can turn a minor driving error into a collision. However, the answer to the question, “Do more accidents happen at night?” is more complicated than that. 

Nevertheless, the analysis for determining liability for a crash is the same for daylight and nighttime car accidents.

How Lighting Plays a Role in Car Accidents

The Florida Crash Facts report uses the following categories of lighting conditions when recording crashes:

• Dawn
• Daylight
• Dusk
• Dark with artificial lights
• Dark without lights
• Dark with unknown lights

The available lighting at each of these times poses different types of risks to drivers. 

Dawn and Dusk

Dawn and dusk are often viewed as neither light nor dark. The sun’s angle can cause glare and limit visibility, but at the same time, there may also be enough light to improve visibility.

Dark

Driving in the dark, particularly on unlit roads, poses a significant risk to road users. A driver’s vision is best where the vehicle’s headlights shine. Outside that area, the driver will have difficulty seeing objects and perceiving movement.

For example, a driver might not see a pedestrian crossing the road until they are directly ahead of the vehicle. As a result, a driver faces an increased risk of causing a pedestrian accident, bicycle accident, or car accident at night.

Additionally, headlights can only illuminate a fixed distance in front of the vehicle based on their luminance. Drivers who overdrive their headlights can cause speeding accidents, leaving them without enough time to stop when an obstacle comes into view.

Daylight

Conversely, driving in daylight also comes with risks. A driver’s risk of crashing during daylight is heavily influenced by traffic congestion. It’s obvious that drivers are more likely to hit other cars when other cars are present.

Miami is one of the most congested cities in the nation. According to the Urban Mobility Report, the hours with the heaviest traffic in Miami are between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and again between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. These hours generally have some daylight, even during the winter.

Statistics for Night Crashes

According to the Crash Facts report statistics, Florida had around 3 times as many crashes during daylight as at night. 

In 2023, the following crashes occurred:

• 184,855 crashes in the dark under lights
• 54,097 crashes in the dark without lights
• 1,607 crashes in the dark with unknown lighting
• 669,550 crashes in daylight

Even if you include the crashes at dawn and dusk with those occurring in the dark, the state still had around 2 times more crashes during daylight than during dawn, dusk, or night.

Liability in Night Crashes

The same legal principles apply whether you had a car crash at night or during the day. Under Florida’s no-fault system, your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage covers losses from minor accidents. You can pursue a claim against the at-fault driver when you suffer a significant, permanent injury or your losses exceed your PIP policy limit.

A driver cannot blame darkness for their crash. For example, a reasonably prudent driver would slow down or pull over if they cannot see the road during a rainstorm at night. A driver who continues is responsible for any crashes they cause, even if their limited visibility contributes to the accident.

Instead of looking at whether the accident happened at night or during the day, jurors will examine the driver’s actions. A driver who acted carelessly or drove while intoxicated bears the liability for a crash regardless of when it happened.

Call Our Miami Car Accident Lawyers at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers if You Need Help After a Nighttime Crash

Most car accidents happen during daylight hours. However, drivers should exercise extra caution at night since poor lighting can lead to crashes. When a crash occurs, drivers are liable for their negligent or wrongful acts, regardless of the lighting.

If you need help after a nighttime crash, call our Miami car accident lawyers at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. 

Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers
20900 NE 30th Ave Suite 715 Aventura, FL 33180
(305) 937-0191
Open 24 hours