The semi-annual time change from daylight savings time to standard time may cause drowsy driving.
Daylight savings time ended early Sunday morning as clocks were returned to standard time with a one hour move backwards. The New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving reminds drivers that the change can disrupt sleep patterns, causing people to feel drowsy. Last year nearly 5,000 police-reported crashes in New York State involved “drowsy driving” or “drivers falling asleep” as contributing factors, according to preliminary statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College. Of the reported crashes, nine involved at least one fatality and over 1,700 involved at least one injury.
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