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Show Darkness Brings on Most Road Accidents The major traffic hazards in Alaska are dog teams, moose and long hours of darkness. Few U. S. motorists have run into dog teams or moose lately. But darkness certainly is one of their major driving problems, according to the national Safety Council. i Darkness doesn't mean "pitch blackness." It also includes the "twilight hours" 4 to 8 p.m. Consider these facts: 1. Three times as many motorists motor-ists and pedestrians lose their lives at night in auto accidents as during the day. 2. Nearly 3 out of 10 auto accidents acci-dents occur from 4 to 8 p.m. One out of four fatal auto accidents occurs then too. 3. In summer months, especially, especial-ly, the succeeding four hours 8 p.m. to midnight are almost equally as hazardous as the twilight twi-light hours. About 1 out of 5 auto deaths charged against U.S. motorists occurs then. Why is darkness such a danger? For several reasons, the Council Coun-cil points out. Such as: 1. Drivers are tired after a hard day. A trip is a pretty tiring ordeal, even when it's not preceded pre-ceded by eight hours of work. 2. Motorists probably are more inclined to doze at the wheel at night. About 1,850 motorists killed in traffic accidents in 1956 were said to have fallen asleep at the wheel. An estimated 270,-000 270,-000 dozing motorists were involved in-volved in that year's traffic accidents. ac-cidents. 3. It's harder for most motorists motor-ists to see at night, and some of them ust don't realize it. Too, headlights of approaching cars make night driving difficult for many persons. 4. At night it's hard to spot hazards ahead sudden twists in the road, wandering animals, a motorist tinkering with a stalled auto. 5. Perhaps most dangerous of the night time hazards are improper im-proper headlights and over driving driv-ing your lights. That means this: At a speed of 60 mph, it takes at least 366 feet to stop a car. The Uniform Vehicle Ve-hicle Code recommends that an auto's bright lights be capable of illuminating an object 350 feet away, which means if you are driving 60 and see a stalled car ahead, you probably can't possibly stop before reaching it. |