In the four days since we moved the clocks back an hour, resulting in earlier sunsets, at least one pedestrian has been hit by a vehicle on Lakewood streets every night, sometimes multiple.
Studies have shown that the clock change can cause disturbed sleep patterns, and when combined with the earlier dusk and darkness during the evening commute, become a formula for drowsy driving and fatigue-related crashes – conditions many drivers may be unaware of during the time change.
“When clocks “fall back” in autumn, drowsy driving becomes a significant threat to motorists,” the AAA warned last week. “That is because their evening commute will now take place in darkness.”
No one was seriously injured.
The town may change the light to LED. Rt 9 is dark like crazy from the old yellow lights. Would consider the mayor to talk to his team. Hopefully something will be done…
I wish they would bring back the street lamps that were popular in the 1960’s!!!!. I believe they were called luminaires put out by General Electric & WhiteWestinghouse. Those lit up the streets the best!!!.
As sad as these accidents due to early darkness and this week’s 11pm was last week’s midnight, dark mornings cause more accidents and injuries….year round daylight savings time was tried. more accidents occurred, especially with school children. With DST, sunrise/netz would be as late as 8:19 am in December in Lakewood ,endangering many more folks than early nightfall. ( Besides challenging many people with davening Shachris k’halacha) The increased morning accidents is the reason the government abandoned year round DST attempt years ago.
Wear a reflector or your blood is on your hands.
It’s a pain in the neck with this clock changes. When is it going to STOP?
For a very long time the clock changes used to happen the. last Sunday of October & the last Sunday of April. We should revert back to that system.
Pedestrians refusing to wear the necessary reflective wear are responsible for these accidents. The time change has no bearing on this. The refusal of pedestrians to be responsible about wearing safety gear is the cause of these accidents. FWIW I’m a pedestrian.
Reflectors, Reflectors, Reflectors. I shudder when I think of the near misses I’ve had as a driver seeing pedestrians at the last minute because they weren’t wearing reflectors. And I also think about the times I’ve seen pedestrians with reflectors on very dark roads.
This will continue until the Lakewood culture changes from “Only the Modernisha & the Nebachs wear reflectors”
How ridiculous and untrue!
Please use reflectors. Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but think how the driver who hits you will feel for the rest of their life because YOU didn’t do the RIGHT thing!
Drivers, please slow down, follow traffic laws,pay attention and save a life. Pedestrians, wear a reflector and remember you are hard to see. Together we can save lives.
As terrible as it is for so many pedestrians to be struck, Were they all were hit between 5 and 6 pm? Otherwise the time change doesnt matter And What about all the people that arent now getting hit at 7 am because its light earlier in the morning?