When Visibility Vanishes: Sun Glare and Pedestrian Accidents
You step into a crosswalk with the light in your favor. You’ve done everything right. What you can’t control is whether the driver approaching you can see you at all—because the setting sun has turned their windshield into a wall of blinding white light.
For pedestrians, sun glare isn’t just a driving inconvenience. It’s a matter of life and death.
Pedestrians Are Especially Vulnerable
When a driver is temporarily blinded by sun glare, everyone around them is at risk—but pedestrians face a unique danger. Unlike other vehicles, a person on foot offers no metal frame, no airbags, and no protection whatsoever against a car that doesn’t see them in time.
Sun glare can be so intense that drivers cannot clearly see or react to traffic signals, sudden changes in road activity, or dangerous conditions. This is precisely how sun glare causes pedestrians to be struck by drivers who simply don’t see them.
The data backs this up. A population-based study examining over 100,000 pedestrians involved in crashes found that those in glare-related crashes were significantly more likely to be fatally injured than those in non-glare-related crashes.
When Does the Risk Peak?
Sun glare is most dangerous when the sun sits lowest on the horizon, during the morning and evening commute hours that overlap with heavy pedestrian traffic. Crosswalks near east-west running roads are particularly hazardous, as drivers heading directly into the rising or setting sun lose visibility almost entirely.
Research has found that the risk of a life-threatening crash is 16% higher in bright sunlight—and shoots up to 32% for crashes that result in death. Ohio’s fall and spring seasons, when the sun’s angle drops dramatically during commute hours, create especially dangerous conditions for pedestrians throughout the state.
Drivers Are Still Responsible
A driver who strikes a pedestrian because of sun glare cannot use the sun as a legal shield. The law requires drivers to adjust their behavior to match the conditions—slowing down, increasing awareness near crosswalks, and pulling over if visibility becomes dangerously impaired. Failing to do so is negligence, plain and simple. Even when visibility is poor, drivers are legally required to yield the right of way to pedestrians.
If you or a loved one has been struck by a vehicle in a sun glare accident, you have the right to pursue full compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and pain and suffering. The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you with your pedestrian accident claim. When a negligent driver’s failure to adjust for dangerous conditions leaves you fighting for your life, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (877) 614-9524 so I can evaluate your case right away.
