Florida’s sunshine is one reason millions of people call this state home — but it is also one of the most underestimated hazards on the road. If a driver blinded by the sun crashed into you, a sun glare car accident attorney in Florida can help you hold that driver accountable. Glare at sunrise and sunset is predictable, recurrent, and entirely manageable with careful driving behavior. A driver who says “I couldn’t see” has not offered an excuse — they have described exactly why they were negligent.
Why Sun Glare Is So Dangerous on Florida Roads
Sun glare car accidents happen most on east-west roadways in the hours just after sunrise and just before sunset. In Central Florida, drivers heading east on I-4 during morning rush hour and those heading west in the late afternoon face direct, intense glare that can drop visibility to near zero. I-4 is already among the most dangerous stretches of highway in the country, and glare at peak travel times makes it even more hazardous.
According to research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, sun glare is a documented contributing factor in thousands of crashes each year. The study found that glare-exposed drivers are more likely to be in the striking role in a crash, with the highest risk concentrated in the 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. window — exactly when Orlando commuters are heading east toward downtown and the theme park corridor.
Florida’s year-round sunshine means there is no seasonal break from this hazard. Drivers on east-west routes face dangerous glare at predictable times every single day. A driver who commutes that route regularly knows the glare will be there — which strengthens the argument that any resulting crash was foreseeable and preventable. As a sun glare car accident attorney in Florida, our team at Martinez Manglardi has seen how quickly insurers try to minimize these claims, and we know how to counter them.
The Legal Duty to Adjust for Glare Conditions
Florida law requires drivers to operate their vehicles at speeds and in manners appropriate for existing conditions. Sun glare is a condition. When visibility drops because of blinding sunlight, a driver’s legal duty is to slow down, increase following distance, use their sun visor, and if necessary, pull over safely until the glare passes. A driver who speeds through an intersection because glare prevented them from seeing a red light has violated their duty of care to everyone else on the road.
“I couldn’t see” is not a defense — it is an admission of driving too fast for conditions. Florida courts have consistently held that a driver who continues at normal speed when they cannot see clearly is driving negligently.
Insurance adjusters may argue that a sun glare car accident was “unavoidable” or suggest you shared responsibility for being in the driver’s path. An Orlando car accident attorney at Martinez Manglardi knows how to counter these arguments with traffic law, weather data, and expert reconstruction of the crash.
Building a Sun Glare Car Accident Claim in Florida
Proving a sun glare car accident requires specific types of evidence. Your attorney will use the time of the crash and the direction of travel to establish that glare was present and severe.
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles crash reporting system records contributing circumstances including vision obscured by sunlight. Your attorney can obtain the official crash report and use the documented contributing factors to support your claim.
Call 407-846-2240 for a free consultation with an Orlando car accident attorney at the Martinez Manglardi personal injury law firm. Convenient locations throughout Central Florida, including Orlando, Kissimmee, Apopka, Palm Bay, Ocala, Haines City, and Davenport.
