We all know the saying “spring forward, fall back.” While this saying is a way to remember the direction we need to move our clocks at the beginning and end of daylight savings time, many people don’t realize the impact of losing an hour of time. Although the time change on March 8, 2015, is only an hour, losing an hour of sleep can have a negative effect on driver safety. In fact, during daylight savings time in the spring and summer, more drivers are:

  • Disoriented
  • Drowsy
  • Distracted

While many people don’t like the idea of losing an hour of sleep, they often don’t adjust their bedtime to offset losing that hour of sleep. As a result, most people are sleepy but still get in their vehicles the next morning to drive to work. Unfortunately, this results in more drowsy drivers on the roadway. Not only are there many fatigued drivers on the road, but it is difficult to see in the morning since it is darker when we rise.   

Effect's of Daylight On Motorcyclist Safety

The combination of dark roads and drowsy motorists put motorcyclists at particular risk during the time change. Many drivers already have a difficult time seeing small motorcycles, but it is especially a problem in dim lighting when drivers aren’t as alert.

Unfortunately, most people don’t realize the impact daylight saving time has on drivers and traffic accidents. Even safe drivers can be affected by the time change and switch lanes onto a motorcyclist because he or she didn’t see the motorcycle.

We hope this blog post sheds some light on this issue so that drivers are more aware of motorcycles during the month of March and motorcyclists don’t have to suffer needlessly. If you have been injured on a motorcycle as a result of someone else's negligence, feel free to contact us at 301-942-9118.

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