One in ten UK motorists ‘scared’ of driving in the dead of night – for 2 key causes | UK | News | EUROtoday

One in 10 motorists admit they’re ‘scared’ of driving in the dead of night. A ballot of two,000 drivers discovered nearly a fifth (19%) stated they now drive much less at night time than they did 12 months in the past. The examine discovered 32% discover themselves tensing up and gripping the steering wheel greater than typical when taking to the roads after darkish.

The analysis discovered 63% fear about being dazzled by others on the street, whereas 24% are involved about hitting animals. This fear is larger amongst girls as 11% admit they’re scared to drive in the dead of night, in comparison with 5% of males.

As such, 4 in ten girls have requested a good friend or relative to drive them as a substitute. Meanwhile, 22% of all drivers have missed social occasions they wanted to journey at night time for.

If they do drive at night time, 25% will drive far under the pace restrict as they panic about having an accident. To keep away from driving on poorly lit roads 61% have pushed an extended route – with 31% prepared so as to add greater than 10 minutes to their journey for the detour.

Vauxhall, working with Dr Neale Kinnear, performed a scientific trial to see if its adaptive Intelli-Lux HD headlights might scale back the stress of night-time driving.The trial in contrast the adaptive lights, discovered on fashions just like the Grandland, to straightforward LED headlights.

The outcomes confirmed individuals felt 28% extra assured when driving at night time with the adaptive know-how, together with physiological indicators of decrease stress, similar to a decrease common coronary heart charge.

Dr Neale Kinnear, a psychologist and driver behaviour knowledgeable, defined that the exploratory real-world trial targeted particularly on drivers who don’t really feel comfy driving at night time. He famous that though individuals weren’t informed what was being examined, “a very clear pattern emerged.”

He defined that when drivers accomplished the night-time route with Intelli-Lux HD headlights, reasonably than commonplace LED headlights, the drive “was consistently rated as easier, more comfortable, and less demanding.”

He added: “Taken together, the findings suggest that lighting technology can meaningfully change how night-time driving feels, and for drivers who find driving after dark uncomfortable or stressful, that has real potential to support confidence and everyday mobility.”

Eurig Druce, a spokesperson for Vauxhall, added that by putting the technology to the test under real-world driving conditions, they could “clearly see the advantages of the extra superior headlights in comparison with commonplace LED headlights.”

He said the goal was “Helping drivers really feel extra comfy and assured when enterprise night-time journeys.”