Our peripheral vision is very good, and we use it in daylight when driving though we may not be fully aware of this because our brain vets this and disregards what is not needed.
We do get information about our speed from peripheral vision. (We will tend to slow down between high hedges).
Also in daylight as we look forward we see the scenery ahead much of which is not relevant but we have to choose to disregard it.
On a truly dark road with only our headlights for light our brain has less to do visually so we feel more comfortable!
The stats say, there are more crashes from the time that most people are leaving work, and as the light fades, not all of this will be caused by the light, we can only guess at that.
At that time of day, people tend to put their headlights on to see rather than the safer option, putting headlights on to be seen.
This might be getting worse due to running lights, now cars with sidelights on is normal, pre running lights a car with sidelights on was noteworthy but now it's normal, only headlights attract attention.
When we lived in Norfolk, most evenings out at work I found myself driving into the sun, with the visor down it is hard work, because vision is restricted, especially when some office-wallah, driving a desk, had made appointments miles apart, and in the holiday season.
Driving was no longer fun!
On the peripheral vision thing.
I had Mk 1 Mini with sliding windows in the doors, I fitted some moulded Perspex gadgets to stop wind and rain blowing in when the window was open (ventilation was poor in most cars back then).
They fitted over the windows leaving space to get a hand out for hand signals, one each side, the Mrs had to be wind free as well.
Early one morning, dawn breaking, leaving the factory after a stoppage, the clouds were down at ground level, full beam was just reflected back but dipped was OK.
I got onto the main road and the Perspex misted over on both sides of the car, and I lost sight of the curb (three lane road) that really frightened me, it was then I learned how much we use peripheral vision!
