ALSANCAK WESTBOUND – FATIGUE-BASED BRAKE DELAY AFTER MIDNIGHT

After midnight, traffic volume along the Alsancak Westbound corridor decreases. The road feels calmer. Speeds stabilize. Visual stimulation reduces compared to earlier commercial intensity.

The risk shifts from density to delay.

Time pattern: 00:00–02:00, especially weekends.

Fatigue does not manifest as obvious swerving or high-speed behavior. It appears as micro-delay in response time.

A typical sequence unfolds:

Vehicle A proceeds westbound at moderate night speed.
Ahead, Vehicle B begins gradual deceleration for a late turn into a residential connector or beach access road.
Brake lights illuminate.
Vehicle A’s reaction time extends by fractions of a second longer than during daytime alertness.

At corridor speeds, even a 0.5 to 1.0 second delay compresses following distance significantly.

Unlike navigation-based drift, this exposure is not visual distraction. It is cognitive slowdown. Drivers returning from cafés or social venues may not feel impaired. However, circadian rhythm reduces processing speed after midnight.

Alsancak’s westbound segment amplifies this because the corridor remains visually linear and predictable. There are fewer strong stimuli to maintain alertness. The monotony increases reaction latency.

Historically, as late-night hospitality expanded in the 2010s and 2020s, post-midnight traffic became more common. The physical road environment did not change. Behavioral state did.

Compounding this is reduced peripheral monitoring. Fatigued drivers focus narrowly on the immediate vehicle ahead rather than scanning further down the corridor. When braking begins beyond the immediate car, compression propagates backward more sharply.

The structural seam forms under four conditions:

Reduced traffic density
Perceived calm corridor
Cognitive slowdown
Shortened braking margin

The risk is not reckless acceleration. It is delayed deceleration.

After midnight, Alsancak Westbound does not appear hazardous. It appears empty.

The brake lights are visible.
The response begins later than it should.