Whether you are falling back or springing forward, daylight savings changes have an unintended consequence– an increase in car accidents.

Telegram.com reports on the findings from a University of Boulder study on this deadly connection, “In the first six days of daylight savings time, there were 302 deaths at a cost of $2.75 Billion over a ten year period. The study found a a 17% increase in traffic fatalities the Monday after the shift.”

The reason for the increase is simple and obvious– loss of sleep. Telegram goes on to report, “When the clock changes– whether it is falling back or springing forward, people’s cycles are interrupted and when sleep cycles are interrupted they tend to be drowsy.”

Drowsy driving is a form of distracted driving meaning that you are not fully present and aware when you are behind the wheel. And there are more distractions than ever these days that are taking away attention and causing serious if not deadly accidents on the road. Some of the additional findings of the study including this very scary data points:

• Most crashes or near misses occur between 4am and 6am
• People who sleep 6-7 hours a night are twice as likely to get into a car crash as those that sleep 8 or more

The solution to this problem is two-fold. As a driver you need to know when you are too tired to get behind the wheel. When that is the case, take some alternative form of transportation (i.e. Uber, city bus, etc) to get you where you need to go. That will always be cheaper than getting ino a car accident. And when you are wide awake behind the wheel, be aware that other may not be and avoid the times in which drowsy driving is most common.

Have you been injured in a car accident because of some type of distracted driving by the other car? Your injuries and the impact this crash has on your life is not something you should have to deal with on your own. From medical references to legal help, Walch Law is who you need to call. We have over four decades of experience helping car crash victims and will work hard to get you the results you deserve as fast as possible. We are available 24/7 so please get in touch with us ASAP to begin working on your case today. We look forward to helping you.