Fatal car crashes nationally spike by 6% during the workweek following the daylight savings time’s “spring forward” change. That means the time change results in about 28 additional deaths according to a study.
Looking deeper at the research shows the farther west a person lives the worse the crash chances are in the morning according to the University of Colorado, Boulder. The University studied more than 700,000 fatal crashes from 1996 to 2017 in order to arrive at their conclusions. The increase could be related to driver sleepiness since they are losing an hour of sleep and as a result getting up earlier than they are used to. The study did not find that the shift to daylight savings time decreased the afternoon total due to better lighting.
An hour may not seem significant but even small changes in sleeping habits can impact how we feel and potentially slow our reaction time on the road. Farmer’s Insurance spokesman Trevor Chapman said his company has also found an increase in crashes the week after the time change when compared to the week before. The findings matter as several states including California consider doing away with daylight savings time. It’s worth noting there is a growing body of research that shows an increase in heart attacks, strokes, workplace injuries and other problems following the change. Also worth noting is during the “fall back’ time in early November we see a decline in morning accidents and a spike in evening crashes due to getting dark earlier.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have almost 60 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!
