| Tony Hartzel: Springing forward to safer commute An illuminated evening rush improves flow 04/08/2001 By / The Dallas Morning News Springing forward can be rough on the sleep cycle, but it's a blessing for the evening commute.
Aside from a few incidents, my commute from downtown to Plano has been noticeably easier since daylight-saving time began April 1. One reason is that driving home during daylight greatly improves traffic flow.
I'm not the only one who has noticed. Dr. Susan Ferguson, a researcher with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, published a study on the issue in 1995 in the American Journal of Public Health.
Her theory mostly covers pedestrian safety, but her research predicts that about 900 lives could be saved if the nation switched its clocks permanently ahead one hour. The reason: More sunlight during evening rush hours helps people see better.
"When you look at the raw data, you can clearly see it," said Dr. Ferguson, whose theory gets more play around spring-forward and fall-back times. "As soon as we get to daylight-saving time, fatal pedestrian crashes drop way down, and they stay down.
"And there was some effect for vehicles, but it was smaller."
Tuesday, my typical 45-minute ordeal took only 30 minutes at 6:30 p.m. A day later, even with a crash on Central Expressway and a detour to side streets, my commute took only 45 minutes. In that case, the side-street traffic moved unbelievably well.
The flip side to easier evening drives could be tougher morning drives. I haven't noticed it, particularly because I hate waking up – much less driving – before sunrise anyway. Dr. Ferguson's research did show increases in morning fatalities but not enough to offset the evening benefit.
In North Texas, researchers think the daylight-saving time switch means about 15 percent fewer motorists exposed to darkness during morning and evening commutes combined.
"This would certainly have some effect on accidents," said Carol Walters, a senior research engineer with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. "There isn't any question in my mind that driving in the dark is more dangerous."
A quick review of 1998 Texas Department of Public Safety data showed a 6 percent drop in all accidents the week after the springtime change, compared with the week before. A similar comparison for fall 1998 showed no difference.
Although Dr. Ferguson's research has been available for several years, there appears to be no desire to set clocks ahead permanently in the United States. In Great Britain, there has been mention of going to year-round daylight-saving time and possibly "double daylight-saving time" during the summer to counter the midafternoon winter sunsets.
"It is a good idea. Will it ever happen? Is there a glimmer of hope? No," Dr. Ferguson said.
In that case, just don't talk to me for a while when we set clocks back in the fall. I get surly when my 25-mile commute takes an hour or more.
• While filling potholes on Interstate 20, Texas Department of Transportation employee Clyde Pittman was struck and killed by a motorist last year. Next week is National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, and road crews are asking for a little consideration.
Transportation workers want to remind motorists that lives could be saved by paying closer attention to surroundings and work-zone speed limits.
Tony Hartzel can be reached at and at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265.
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