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edscoble
Lots of drivers think it is easier to drive at night, they can see less, so what they can see is easier to process (superficially), so they drive faster. Logically, they will believe that anything that needs to be avoided has great big lights on it (great big lights that will spill and reflect off houses, trees, the road and other cars - this even allows them to see round corners). The high contrast diminishes the amount of information that can be easily gleaned from the position and movement of other vehicles to whether they are basically there or not, unlit objects become too much effort to worry about so in their perception there is less to consider and these drivers' decision processes become much quicker. Less information - worse decisions - more quickly made. It's a particular problem on country roads and in bad weather and vulnerable road users get the worst of it. Driving in poorer visibility should be harder work but then some people reach cognitive overload turning a steering wheel unexpectedly.
I was absolutely creamed once by a driver accelerating to make the gap between the two vehicles whose headlights he could see coming down the hill towards him. Not a lot you can do when someone is effectively aiming at you. I now recognise following a car at a safe distance with another car holding back to follow me as being high risk and try to shield myself more with the first car.