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Springing clocks forward may cause more car accidents

On Behalf of | Mar 6, 2017 | Car Accidents |

North Carolina residents may not think much of changing the clocks each spring. However, there are more car crash deaths on the first Monday after the change than on a typical Monday. Researchers in a 1999 study found that there are 83.5 deaths on the “spring forward” Monday compared to 78.2 on a normal Monday. This was according to 21 years of fatal car crash data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Research from other countries has found a similar link between the spring time change and an increased occurrence of car crashes. In Canada, a 1996 study found that moving the clocks ahead an hour led to an 8 percent increase in car accidents. A study conducted in 1980 in Britain also found that there was an increase in accidents related to pushing the clocks ahead an hour.

Researchers caution that there is no need to avoid driving the Monday after the clocks are moved up an hour. A study done by the University of Colorado found that daylight saving may have contributed to 302 deaths over a 10-year span. That is roughly 30 deaths a year on average, and there was approximately 40,000 traffic deaths in the U.S. in 2016

Those who are hurt in a car crash may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and lost future earnings. An attorney may be able to show that negligence on the part of another driver may have played a role in causing the accident. It may also be possible to prove that poor road design or a motor vehicle defect may have played a role in causing an accident. Personal injury cases may be settled in court or through a negotiated settlement.

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