Self-Driving Car Difficulties When Driving At Night

Dr. Lance Eliot, AI Insider

[Ed. Note: For reader’s interested in Dr. Eliot’s ongoing business analyses about the advent of self-driving cars, see his online Forbes column: https://forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/]

Are you a nighttime driver?

According to various governmental reports, it is said that there is about 60% less traffic at night but 40% of all fatal car accidents happen at nighttime, furthermore the fatality rate for car occupants is about three times higher at night than during the daytime, and the fatal crash rate for 16-year-old drivers is twice what it is at night versus during the day (a good reason to keep your teenager from driving at night!).

What makes nighttime driving so terrible?

One aspect is the impact on visibility.

I suppose if it was only the lighting that made a difference, perhaps we could all accommodate it as a nighttime issue.

But, as you know, there is also driver behavior that comes to play.

Drunk driving is much more likely at nighttime than daytime. This means that a driver is likely not able to properly navigate the roads and can either get into an accident or cause someone else to get into an accident. There are also drowsy drivers at…