Car crashes increase following Daylight Saving time change, study finds

Losing one hour of sleep may not seem like a major deal, but the Monday after the Daylight Saving time change is more dangerous than usual for drivers.

A study conducted at the University of Colorado found Daylight Saving Time contributed to a 6.3 percent increase in fatal crashes.

A 2016 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers who miss between one to two hours of the recommended seven hours of sleep in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a crash.

Data from the Texas Department of Transportation revealed in 2016 being fatigued or asleep contributed to 9,807 crashes across the state — 164 of those crashes were fatal.

“You’re impaired. You can’t see as well. Your reaction time is a lot slower,” Sun City Driving School instructor Shauna Mendoza said. “If you feel at any moment that you are starting to fall asleep on the road, it’s always best to stop.”

Mendoza has been an instructor for over five years. She said she emphasizes that the consequences of drowsy driving can be similar to drunk driving.

“We tell our students if they’re driving behind the wheel, they shouldn’t drive longer than two hours without a break,” Mendoza said. “If you see someone in front of you who’s swerving between lanes, or going a little bit slower, or just not driving a safe way — stay away from that person.”

In urban areas in Texas, the number of fatal crashes involving drowsy drivers increased by over 10 percent from 2015 to 2016.

“If you just pull off and get 20 minutes of a break, it will do wonders for your alertness and really do a lot to prevent the number of crashes,” TxDOT spokeswoman Jennifer Wright said.