As daylight saving time ends and we pick up an extra hour of sleep. New York state officials are warnings of the dangers of drowsy driving.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, which also serves as the beginning of Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, Nov. 3 to 9. The New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving is promoting a “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” message, which features drowsy-driving injury prevention programs, including awareness, education and outreach focused on the importance of sleep.
“Drowsiness or fatigue can affect driving ability, which puts not only the driver at risk of injury or death in a crash, but everyone else on the road as well,” said Mark J.F. Schroeder, NYS Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner and chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “The risk is even greater for young drivers, due to inexperience, but all motorists should know and be aware of the warning signs of drowsiness, particularly as we adjust to standard time, and avoid driving in that situation.”
- See also: Studying the health effects of daylight saving time
- See also: Make sure to set your clocks for daylight saving time
In 2023, 5,111 police-reported crashes in New York State involved “fatigue/drowsy driving” and/or “driver fell asleep” as contributing factors, according to preliminary statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College. Of the reported crashes, 15 involved at least one fatality and 1,843 involved at least one injury.
“We are approaching the end of daylight-saving time, so it’s essential that New Yorkers take necessary precautions to avoid falling asleep behind the wheel as it gets darker earlier,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “Getting adequate rest before driving, avoiding alcohol and medications that cause drowsiness, and taking breaks during long drives can all prevent devastating and traumatic events.”
So far in 2024, those same factors have been listed 2,419 times on police crash reports from across the state, according to preliminary figures from ITSMR. Of those reported crashes, three involved at least one fatality and 852 involved at least one injury.