Daylight saving time begins at 2 AM Sunday, as the dreaded “spring forward” for most of the United States.
AAA East Central advisors indicate that motorists and pedestrians need to make proper adjustments for safer travel.
Research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has revealed that drivers not getting enough sleep put everyone on the road at risk — as drowsy driving crashes are nearly eight times more prominent than indicated by federal estimates, due to the difficulty of detecting drowsiness after accidents.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate 35% of motorists sleep less than the recommended minimum of seven hours per day — only exacerbated by this weekend’s time change.
Common symptoms of drowsy driving include: difficulty keeping eyes open, drifting lanes and failure to remember the last few driven miles. This weekend, or anytime, really, motorists should plan an extra hour of sleep to address the time change, avoid heavy foods before driving, avoid medications that cause drowsiness/impairment, and schedule breaks every two hours (or 100 miles) of driving.
Pedestrians, meanwhile, should pay attention — especially near crosswalks — wear bright colors and reflective clothing at night, carry a flashlight if in full darkness, make eye contact with drivers when crossing streets, walk on sidewalks or face traffic if none are available, and cross at intersections instead of running between parked cars on the sides of roads.
In a recent report from sleepfoundation.org, time changes continue to be addressed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives —but may be around longer than anticipated.
Just days after clocks were changed in spring 2022, the Senate passed the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2021” — in what is a call to abolish clock changes altogether in support of year-round daylight saving time.
That act, however, still needs approval from both the House and President Joe Biden.
This March, Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, reintroduced the bill in the Senate, and a similar bill exists in the House. Both bills have bipartisanship support.
Several states currently operate on standard time with no observed changes.
