'Fall Back' This Weekend: It's The End Of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time ends for most states at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, bringing with earlier sunsets an increased risk for car-deer crashes and drowsy driving. "Falling back" to Standard Time — that is, setting the clock back an hour — means you'll be able to pack in an extra hour of fun with friends and family on Saturday or languish in bed for an extra hour on Sunday morning.

But as the days shorten (they won't begin to lengthen again until after Winter Solstice Dec. 21), the loss of an hour of daylight means most 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workers will leave their jobs around sunset — and that can be dangerous.

In general, deer are most active between dusk and 11 p.m., and they're especially frisky this time of year. It's prime breeding season — you may have heard it referred to as "in rut" — and they run about more wildly than usual, increasing the chances of a collision.

Slow down: know that if you see one deer more are likely to follow; pay attention to deer crossing signs and use your high beams — unless you're meeting an oncoming car, of course — to increase your chances of spotting them. Brake if you can, but don't swerve, because that could result in a more serious collision.

The risk of hitting a deer may be especially heightened, depending upon where you live.

Longer nights can 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 enough of a wake-up call, consider this: A staggering 103 million people admitted they fell asleep at the wheel in a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, which observes Drowsy Driving Prevention Week during the week following the end of Daylight Saving Time, this year from Nov. 5-12.

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:

• 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 nighttime fatalities, according to the organization.

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.

"Think about it: 90 percent of your reaction time depends on your ability to see what's around you," the NSC said on its website. "And since your depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision decrease after sundown, your chances for a car accident tend to increase."

Even when they've flipped on their high-beam headlights, drivers can only see about 500 feet (compared to 250 feet for normal headlights) and have less time to react to something in the road, especially at high speeds.

To combat darkness, 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. If you're going somewhere unfamiliar, use an in-dash navigational system or phone app to guide you, or check the map before you go and memorize your route.

Check the exact time the sun sets after the fall back from Daylight Saving Time.

Written by Beth Dalbey, Patch National Staff

Image: louda2455 via Pixabay.com