![](https://callsam.com/_assets/daylight-saving-time-car-accident.DZFmd7yf_Z2hkY7e.webp) # The Darker Side of Daylight Saving Time: What Every Driver Should Know Published: March 15, 2024 Springing ahead can leave you groggy. Extra evening light is real; so is a bump in deadly crashes and other health events in the days after the change. Rest and extra caution help. If you or a loved one is still injured, an experienced [car accident attorney](https://callsam.com/case-types/car-accidents/) can help you pursue compensation. ## WHAT IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME? Most of the United States moves clocks **forward one hour** on the second Sunday in March and **back one hour** on the first Sunday in November. The idea is more than a century old, including wartime energy rules. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 set a national framework. States may opt out of observing daylight saving time. **Hawaii** and most of **Arizona** do not (the Navajo Nation in Arizona does). Several U.S. territories also stay on standard time year-round. ## WHY DO CAR ACCIDENTS INCREASE AFTER THE “SPRING AHEAD” TIME CHANGE? A [Current Biology](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.12.045) study of U.S. fatal crashes (1996–2017) found about a **6%** increase in the week after the spring change—worse in the morning and farther west in a time zone. Springing forward does **not** make the sun rise earlier on the clock. Clock-time **sunrise is later** (darker commutes) and **sunset is later** (lighter evenings). Lost sleep plus a darker morning commute is the usual explanation. The same study did not find a similar spike after the fall “fall back.” ## DROWSY DRIVERS LOSE MORE THAN SLEEP Police reports undercount drowsy driving. NHTSA’s official drowsy figures are only about 1–2% of deaths. The [AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety](https://aaafoundation.org/research/drowsy-driving-in-fatal-crashes-united-states-2017-2021/) estimated that **about 17.6%** of fatal crashes in 2017–2021 involved a drowsy driver—roughly **29,800** deaths over those five years. Other research often cited by safety groups: - Short sleep can impair driving in ways similar to alcohol (the “two hours / three beers” comparison is a simplification, not a lab measurement of every driver) - Very short sleep (about four to five hours) is tied to a much higher crash risk than a full night Even if you never fully nod off, slow reactions and lane drift are enough to wreck a car. ## WHAT ARE OTHER NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME? [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health](https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/7-things-to-know-about-daylight-saving-time) has summarized other associations with the seasonal shift, including more heart attacks and strokes, mood changes, hospital visits and stress-related symptoms. Those are population findings, not a diagnosis of any one driver. If you crash in that week, Michigan [No-Fault](https://callsam.com/michigan-no-fault-law/) and ordinary negligence rules still apply. Drowsiness is not a defense. ## CONTACT OUR EXPERIENCED MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS TODAY If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident, we can help. Our lawyers have the skills and resources to pursue the compensation you deserve. Michigan car accident law is complicated, but finding the right [car accident attorney](https://callsam.com/case-types/car-accidents/) is simple. Don’t let the legal clock run out. 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