Tips for Avoiding Accidents Caused by Low-Light Conditions in Philadelphia

With the colder months of the year upon us in Philadelphia, the days are getting much shorter than they were during the summer months. This can impact your life in various ways you might not have considered.

For example, naturally, when it’s dark outside, visibility decreases. This could potentially put you at greater risk of being involved in a slip and fall, trip and fall, or similar accident when walking at night.

The following tips will help you guard against this. To prevent the dark winter nights from causing you to be harmed in an unexpected accident, you should:

Look for Parking Spots With Sufficient Lighting

If you’re parking somewhere and know it’s likely to be dark out by the time you walk back to your car, try to find a parking spot near strong outdoor lighting. Ideally, there should also be enough lighting to help you clearly see what’s in front of you every step of the way as you return from your destination to your vehicle.

Proper lighting can have a much greater influence on your safety than you realize. Along with allowing you to more easily spot obstructions that could otherwise put you at risk of being involved in a trip and fall accident, strong outdoor lighting can make you less of a target to criminals.

Bring a Flashlight

Most smartphones are equipped with flashlights now. While these small lights may provide some illumination in dark rooms, they’re typically not strong enough to light your way when you’re walking outdoors at night.

Whenever you leave your home this winter if you have any reason to believe you might find yourself walking outdoors after the sun has gone down, remember to bring a reasonably strong flashlight with you. Doing so will give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ll be able to see your surroundings clearly even if you find yourself in a spot with minimal outdoor lighting.

Wear Bright Clothing

Motorists may struggle to see you crossing the street in dark conditions if you’re wearing dark attire. If a motorist can’t spot you, your odds of being harmed in a pedestrian accident will increase substantially. This is particularly true in winter when inclement weather conditions can also interfere with a driver’s ability to properly and safely operate their vehicle.

Keep yourself safe by wearing bright clothing at night. The more visible you are to motorists, the less likely you are to be injured.

All that said, while you can exercise caution and heed advice like this to keep yourself safe, you can’t control the decisions of others. For example, maybe you will one day be involved in a trip and fall accident on another party’s property because they failed to install adequate outdoor lighting that would permit you to see obstructions in your path at night.

If this has happened to you in the Philadelphia area, our Philadelphia premises liability attorneys at Solomon, Sherman & Gabay may be able to help you recover financial compensation for your medical bills and other such losses associated with your accident. Contact us online today or call us at 216-665-1100 for more information.