eBikeaholic
New Member
If you've been commuting to work or school for over a year then you are already well aware of the profound affect that the daylight saving time changes have on us.
In the first week of March we roll the clocks forward on a Sunday night and lose one hour. For most people who don't prepare for it, this means we lose one hour of sleep. According to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, most Americans slept about 40 minutes less than normal that Sunday night. This seems small but can wreak havoc on our circadian rhythm which affects us both physically and mentally.
Be alert for groggy drivers Monday morning!
According to IBTimes, over 1.5 billion people across 80 countries observe the tradition, but not all of us adjust our clocks at the same time. According to a study in Sleep Medicine, drivers are more likely to be in a fatal traffic accident on that first Monday. The authors analyzed 21 years of data on fatal traffic accidents in the U.S. and found that following the start of DST, drivers are in 84 accidents as compared with 78 on the average Monday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns drivers that adjusting to the new low-light environment can take time, and that driving while distracted puts everyone— especially pedestrians and cyclists—at greater risk of death or injury. They note that 840 cyclists died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 and nearly 45,000 cyclists were injured. The majority of these fatalities occur during dark conditions between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Remember to Spring forward into safety, Fall back into safe lighting habits.