With spring fast approaching, the chance that you may be injured in a car accident is increasing. While everyone should take precautions to be safer while driving, we all know that this does not always happen. Sometimes, even the best of precautions may not be enough to avoid a car accident.
Increase in Car Accidents Backed by Research
Recent research has shown that as the nation transitions into Daylight Savings Time, the incidence of car accidents, both fatal and non-fatal, invariably increases. After studying 21 years of data from the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, researchers from Johns Hopkins and Stanford found a significant increase in fatal crashes on the Monday after the clock switch in spring. The average death toll increased from 78.2 to 83.5 on the day of the time change. The study also shows a significant increase in collisions during the day after the Daylight Savings time change in the fall.
According to a Johns Hopkins neurologist, many Americans do not get enough sleep. For this reason, the hour of lost sleep during Daylight Savings makes a big difference. Although the change takes place on a Sunday, an increase in car accidents occurs on Monday because people are still adjusting to the time shift when they get up and head to work. This is often described as a feeling akin to jet lag. Moreover, similar studies in England and Canada also show an increase in car accidents after Daylight Savings Time. The Canadian study reports an eight percent increase in car accidents with Daylight Savings.
Benefits of Daylight Savings Brought Into Question
The benefits of Daylight Savings Time are currently hotly contested. The process was started during World War I in an attempt to conserve energy for the war effort. Daylight Savings was made standard practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the rest of the country in 1960. Today, studies show that the energy saved by Daylight Savings Time is all but canceled out by the energy that needs to be expended elsewhere because of the practice. Furthermore, studies show that small disruptions in sleep can have detrimental effects on human health – and even massive effects on public health –when it happens to the whole country at nearly the same time annually. The effects can be so harmful that many advocate for year-round Daylight Savings Time to avoid the risks.
Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers at Folkman Law Offices, P.C. Fight for Car Accident Victims in South Jersey
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, Folkman Law can help. Our car accident lawyers in Cherry Hill focus our practice on personal injury case and our offices are located in Cherry Hill, Philadelphia, and King of Prussia, serving residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For a free case evaluation, do not hesitate to call us at 856-354-9444, or complete our online contact form. We offer flexible appointment hours based around your schedule. Nothing pleases us more than helping our clients reach a successful outcome.
