This year, Daylight Saving Time comes to a conclusion on Nov. 3. That’s when we will “fall back” and change the clocks in California and many other states. It’s important to remember this for scheduling purposes, though modern smartphones — which many people use almost exclusively to tell time — should reset themselves.
However, even if you don’t end up being late for work, that’s not to say that the end of Daylight Saving Time will have no impact on you. It means more driving in the dark during your daily commute. The winter months have shorter days and many workers end up driving both their commute to and from work in the dark.
Why does this matter? The odds of a car accident increase when you have to drive at night. It can lead to:
- Reduced visibility
- Issues with depth perception
- A lack of peripheral vision
- The need for far faster reaction times
- Problems with color recognition
- An increase in road glare from oncoming lights
- Drowsy driving
All of these issues simply mean it is harder to drive safely at night. People make more mistakes, they react poorly to mistakes made by others and they find themselves involved in injury crashes and fatal accidents at a greater rate.
So, while you may enjoy getting to turn back the clock, you need to know that you will face some risks this winter. They get worse on Nov. 3. If you get injured in an accident that another driver causes, make sure you are well aware of the legal options you have to seek out financial compensation.