Research Triangle Park, NC (Nov. 3, 2017) – As daylight saving time ends Sunday morning, let more vigilance begin as the earlier evening darkness presents challenges for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Studies from Carnegie Mellon and the National Road Safety Foundation have found that pedestrians walking around dusk are nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed in the days following the end of daylight saving time. Auto accidents also increase after the clocks fall back an hour.
“As more people travel home from work and school in the dark, we urge everyone to be aware of their surroundings,” said GoTriangle General Manager Jeff Mann. “Drivers, walkers, bikers and people waiting at transit stops can all do their part to help keep everyone safe. Safety is always our top priority.”
The shift in sleep patterns and change in light increase risks for pedestrians and cyclists because drivers have a harder time spotting them.
To help minimize the risks, here’s a list of safety tips from the N.C. Department of Transportation:
For Drivers
- Make sure your vehicle headlights are on.
- Keep an eye out for pedestrians, cyclists and deer.
- Protect your eyes from glare by allowing them to adapt to darkness before driving.
- Adjust the rearview mirror to the "night" setting to avoid headlight glare.
- Make sure your headlights and windshield (including the inside) are cleaned off and clear.
- Check your headlights to ensure they are properly aimed. If pointing the wrong way, they can blind others on the road and reduce your ability to see where you are going.
- If driving east in the morning or west in the afternoon, allow extra travel time, as you may deal with sun glare.
- Take off sunglasses as dusk approaches.
- Slow down and leave more space between your vehicle and the one in front of you.
- Switch to low beams when approaching a driver, cyclist or pedestrian.
- Look down and toward the right edge of the road if you are blinded by light from an oncoming vehicle.
For Pedestrians and Cyclists
- Walk facing traffic to see oncoming vehicles.
- Ride bikes in the same direction as vehicles.
- Wear brightly colored, reflective, or fluorescent clothing.
- Carry a light and place reflective strips on items you may carry.
- Look right and left when crossing at a traffic signal.
- Avoid jaywalking and crossing a road between parked vehicles.
Daylight saving time was proposed by New Zealand scientist George Hudson in 1895 and first implemented in 1916 in Germany, which was trying to save energy during World War I.
Federal law specifies that daylight saving time starts in the United States at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and lasts until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November in most areas. That means we’ll get our extra hour of evening sun back on March 11, 2018.