Headlight Compression

After sunset on Girne Pass, distance judgment changes quietly. Headlights compress space, making gaps appear shorter and movement seem slower. Risk forms when drivers read brightness as proximity rather than speed.

On the descent, vehicles rely on headlight beams to judge flow. The slope carries momentum, but light flattens depth. Brake lights ahead glow steadily, suggesting control. In reality, closing speed is higher than it looks, especially where the road straightens before the Girne entrance.

Timing sharpens the effect. Between 19:00–22:00, inbound traffic thins and speeds stabilize. Drivers grow comfortable, trusting visual cues. When a vehicle ahead eases off to position for the underpass or first roundabout, the change blends into the light pattern and registers late.

A familiar local sequence repeats. A car descends at a constant pace, reading taillights as distant. The lead vehicle slows slightly. The following driver waits a beat too long, then brakes harder than planned. The slope amplifies the error; reactions behind lag further.

This pattern persists because visibility feels sufficient. The layout hasn’t changed. What repeats is mistaking illuminated distance for safe distance.

On Girne Pass at night, the risk is not darkness,

but letting headlights redefine how far “far enough” feels.