People will pay deerly to switch to daylight saving time.
The average is the autumn time change from standard to autumn. 16 percent increase in collisions between deer-vehiclesScientists in the United States report November 2 in Current Biology. The researchers estimate that eliminating the switch could save nearly 37,000 deer — and 33 human lives.
In a typical year, there are more than 2 million deer-vehicle collisions — about 7 percent of total vehicle crashes. Laura Prugh, a wildlife biologist and her colleagues collected data from 23 states to determine how the biannual change in time affects those numbers. The data included information about whether or not an animal was involved and the time it occurred. These numbers were compared to traffic volumes in each state between 2013-2019, with a focus on weeks prior and following the switch to daylight savings time in spring and to standard time in fall.
Springing forward had little effect, but almost 10 percent of yearly deer collisions on average took place around the autumn fallback — when the bulk of human traffic shifted to after dark. The East Coast was particularly affected by the problem. “You see [a] really steep spike in the fall,” says Prugh, of the University of Washington in Seattle. “In the western states, you also see an increase, but it’s not nearly as sharp.” On the East Coast, the autumn switch falls in the middle of mating season for white-tailed deer. There are more deer than drivers, and there are also more drivers after dark. “The timing could not be worse.”
Eliminating the clock change wouldn’t completely wipe out the spike in crashes — mating season plays a big role, regardless of what time sunset happens. But the scientists estimate that keeping daylight saving time year-round would decrease total deer-human collisions by about 2 percent — saving dozens of people, thousands of human injuries and tens of thousands of deer. It’s Another reasonFor us all to move towards the light (SN: 3/31/14).
