One Less Hour of Sleep Raises Two Daylight Saving Concerns

Wake up sleepyhead. Springing into Daylight Saving Time means many drowsy motorists may lose a spring in their step as they face a darker morning drive or sun glare from a rising sun. Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. this Sunday, March 8, when we set our clocks one hour ahead.

“A change in time can mean that drivers are more tired than they realize, while transferring daylight from the morning to the evening means drivers and pedestrians will have to adjust to a darker morning commute to work or school,” says Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “It’s important that both drivers and pedestrians are aware of the potential dangers and act with caution.”
Drowsy Driving

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently released the most in-depth drowsy driving research ever conducted in the U.S., using footage of everyday drivers, which found drowsy driving is a factor in about 10 percent of all crashes – that is eight times higher than previous federal estimates.

In a related AAA Foundation survey, nearly all drivers (96 percent) say they view drowsy driving as a serious threat to their safety and a completely unacceptable behavior. However, 27 percent admitted to driving when they were so tired they had a hard time keeping their eyes open.

In New Jersey, State Police reports that in 2018, 146 fatalities were attributed to driver inattention, distraction, or fatigue.

“AAA warns that drivers who miss just one or two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a crash,” Noble says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 35 percent of U.S. drivers sleep less than the recommended minimum of seven hours daily. In a recent related AAA Foundation survey, nearly all drivers (96 percent) say they view drowsy driving as a serious threat to their safety and a completely unacceptable behavior. However, 29 percent admitted to driving when they were so tired they had a hard time keeping their eyes open.

Darkness

The other issue increasing risk with the time change is darkness. The Monday morning commute, and the morning commute for several weeks to come, will be much darker than what drivers are used to, a serious concern because 76 percent of pedestrian fatalities happen when it’s dark, according to the latest findings from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released in February 2020.

Since most pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas, GHSA also examined changes in the number of pedestrian fatalities for the ten most populous U.S. cities. The total number of pedestrian fatalities for the ten largest U.S. cities increased by about 7 percent, from 613 fatalities in 2017 to 655 in 2018.

According to the New Jersey State Police fatal accident statistics there were 179 pedestrian deaths in 2019 and there have been 30 pedestrian fatalities as of March 4, 2020.

AAA offers motorists and pedestrians the following safety tips:

Tips for Drivers

Slow down, pay attention and eliminate all distractions.
Watch out for pedestrians when backing up in parking lots or driveways.
Keep vehicle headlights and windows (inside and out) clean.
Sun glare can make it difficult to see so:
increase your following distance from the vehicle ahead of you;
utilize your sun visor and invest in polarized sunglasses, as both can help reduce glare.
Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible during early morning and evening hours.
Watch the high beams. Do not use high beams when other cars or pedestrians are around.
Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. Do not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.

Tips for Pedestrians

Cross at intersections or crosswalks – not in the middle of the street or between parked cars. Do not jaywalk.
Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that does not have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.
Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.
Wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you are walking near traffic at dawn, dusk and night. Carry a flashlight when walking in the dark.
Allow extra time and distance for a vehicle to stop in inclement weather.
While walking, pocket the cell phone and avoid listening to music/audio player at a volume that prohibits you from hearing approaching danger.
Do not let umbrellas or jacket hoods block your view of approaching traffic.

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