There’s always more animal bodies on the side of road after a time change too. It makes sense–animals don’t have clocks. They move according to the sun. They also probably have some instinct as to when there is a lot of traffic. So they move at times when there aren’t a lot of cars on the road. And then we switch it up on them.
The study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology estimated that up to 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths and 2,054 human injuries could be prevented annually by halting the switch from daylight saving to standard time in the autumn. Permanent daylight saving time would allow for more light during peak traffic hours.
Indeed, a 2020 study found that fatal traffic accidents in the U.S. rose 6% in the week after daylight saving started. Other studies have found that the switch to daylight saving brings small increases in workplace injuries and medical errors in the days following the change. A 2019 study, meanwhile, found that the risk of heart attacks went up in the week after clocks sprung forward, though other research did not find such an increase.
“Simply put, darkness kills. And darkness in the evening is far deadlier than darkness in the morning,” University of Washington professor Steve Calandrillo said. “The evening rush hour is twice as fatal as the morning for various reasons — far more people are on the road, more alcohol is in drivers’ bloodstream, people are hurrying to get home, and more children are enjoying outdoor, unsupervised play.”
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