Daylight Saving Time 2018 Ends: Free Batteries In Miami

MIAMI, FL — The city of Miami plans to give away 36,000 Duracell batteries starting Friday to encourage residents to replace the batteries in their smoke alarms ahead of this weekend's time change. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.

"As we turn the clocks back an hour, there's another important task we should complete: changing the batteries in smoke alarms to keep us safe year-round," according to Magic City officials. "The City of Miami Department of Solid Waste is making it easier for residents by giving away free 9-volt batteries."

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Stop by any NET office to pick up the free Duracell batteries. The giveaway was made possible through a Keep America Beautiful grant received by the City’s Keep Miami Beautiful program.

Even if you don't take advantage of the free battery giveaway, remember to change your batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors as you adjust your clocks this Sunday. Devices like mobile phones and computers should adjust to the new time automatically.

Miami's battery giveaway is intended to call attention to the alarming statistic that three out of five home-fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms, according to city officials.

"Give your family the gift of safety and stop by your NET Office to pick up your batteries starting Friday, Nov. 2, 2018," Miami officials urged.

Sunday's time change brings earlier sunsets and an extra hour of fun with friends and family on Saturday night. You can also lounge in bed for an extra hour of sleep on Sunday. But afternoons will also zip away, with the sunset arriving earlier.

Here are the sunrise and sunset times around Miami for Sunday, Nov. 4:

• Sunrise will be at 6:31 a.m.
• Sunset will be at 5:37 p.m. in Miami

Until the days begin lengthening again after the Winter Solstice — that's Friday, Dec. 21, this year — the loss of an hour of daylight means many Americans in the Eastern and Central Standard Time zones will be leaving their workplaces around sunset.

Longer nights also induce drowsy driving. Of course, most of us don't go to sleep the moment it gets dark or wake up the moment the sun peeks over the horizon in the morning, but our internal clocks hardwire us for that kind of sleep cycle.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research shows drowsy-driving crashes most frequently occur between midnight and 6 a.m., or in the late-afternoon — both times when there are dips in your circadian rhythm — that's your internal human body clock. About 100,000 police-reported crashes a year are a result of driver fatigue, according to the agency's website.

And if that's not wake-up call enough, consider this: A staggering 103 million people admitted they fell asleep at the wheel in a poll by the National Sleep Foundation.

Of those surveyed who said they had fallen asleep while driving, 13 percent said it happens regularly about once a month, and 4 percent said they caused a crash when they fell asleep. The poll also showed that 60 percent of adults say they have driven when they were sleepy.
Some other findings:

• Adults 18-29 are more likely drive when they're drowsy compared to other groups (71 percent, vs. 52 percent for drivers 30-64 and 9 percent for drivers 65 and older)
• Men are more likely than women to drive while drowsy, 56 percent to 45 percent, and are almost twice as likely as women to fall asleep while driving, 22 percent versus 12 percent.
• Parents and other adults with children in their households are more likely to drive drowsy than those without children, 59 percent to 45 percent.
• Night shift workers are more likely than their colleagues who work day shifts to be drowsy when they drive to work, 36 percent versus 25 percent.

Why Most Accidents Occur at Night
The risk of a fatal traffic accident is three times greater at night than during daylight hours, according to the National Safety Council. More animals, sleepy drivers and drunken drivers all play a role, but decreased visibility is the main culprit in increased night-time fatalities, the National Safety Council says.

Some reasons: Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.
To improve your night driving vision, the National Safety Council recommends:

• Make sure your headlights are clean and properly aimed.
• Dim your dashboard lights.
• Look away from oncoming lights.
• If you wear glasses, ask your optometrist about anti-reflective lenses.
• Make sure your windshield is clean and free of streaks.
• Slow down to compensate for limited visibility and decreased braking time.

Remember this, too: The evening rush hour is already a dangerous time because roads are crowded and drivers are eager to get home. With dusk coming an hour earlier, be extra patient, stay in your lane and keep an eye out for drivers who are darting in and out of lanes, and if you're going somewhere unfamiliar, check the map before you go and memorize your route.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano