For millions of Americans, the end of daylight savings time is often more exciting than Halloween or even Christmas. What adult would not love the gift of an extra full hour of sleep! In a sleep-deprived society even just an hour of additional sleep can seem like a wonderful thing. There is also the benefit of having more daylight at a time when children are leaving home to make their way to school. The trade-off to the extra hour of daylight in the morning is that it is dark at a time when many Americans are leaving work to drive home.
While the trade-off may be worth it in the long-run, it does not mean that it does not come with its own set of short-term challenges. In fact, when it comes to being on the roadways, the end of daylight savings time can be quite problematic. The good thing is that if people are prepared to deal with the challenges that come with it becoming darker earlier in the evening, then they are in a much better position to handle the change.
The biggest problems associated with the time change is that the darkness means decreased visibility during “rush hour”. Drivers making their way home after work now need to be able to adjust to navigating in the dark. Driving in the dark is not just problematic for drivers. The decrease in visibility is actually a major cause of accidents. The National Safety Council estimates that traffic fatalities are 3 times higher at night than during the day.
Motorists can help combat the decreased visibility that the darkness brings by reducing their speed, especially in areas where pedestrians are present. Slowing down will also give motorists extra time to spot critters, like deer that tend to be more active between the hours of 6pm and 11pm during the month of November. Another easy tip to improve visibility is to make sure that the lights on one’s vehicle are all properly working, including brake lights, taillights, headlights and turn signals. Drivers should also use their high beams for additional light when conditions are appropriate.
The other major “con” of the end of daylight savings time is driver fatigue. If you think that extra hour of sleep will help you eliminate a sleep deficit, think again. While it is easy to set our alarm clocks to the correct time, adjusting our internal clocks is much more difficult. Many people report feeling sluggish weeks after the time change. This combined with the shorter days in fall and winter, means that everyone needs to be on alert for drowsy drivers. To combat driver fatigue it is important to allow for extra sleep prior to and for a few weeks after the clocks move back.
If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries after being involved in a motor vehicle crash, the experienced Injury Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. can provide you with valuable legal assistance. Our team of seasoned Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys will make sure that you receive all that you are entitled to. We will fight hard to make sure that you obtain the compensation you deserve. Trust the Injury Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. to help you, just as they have helped countless injury victims around the area, both in Kansas and Missouri. To find out how the attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. can assist you, contact our office today at (816) 472-4673 to schedule a consultation. At Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P. we pride ourselves at providing injury victims with exceptional legal services.