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Daylight Savings Time and Accident Injury

The idea of daylight savings time has been around for many centuries, but in the United States it was first introduced by Woodrow Wilson in 1918. The idea of putting our clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall had to do with saving energy by not needing as much artificial lighting during the hours most people are active. Woodrow Wilson also believed he was helping the war effort with DST.

It was not long, only several months, before most of the U.S. repealed the use of daylight savings time in 1918 although many of the larger cities continued to use it. In 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted it year round in the United States.

Daylight Savings Time Caused Confusion to Many

Daylight savings time caused confusion for many years because people were free to choose if they would use it and when they would use it. Finally Congress established the Uniform Time Act of 1966 which defined when DST would begin and end. Over the years the dates have been revised until the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Daylight Savings Time 2015 began by turning our clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 8 and plans are in place for turning it back one hour on Sunday, November 1. This process gives people more daylight in the evening in the springtime and more light in the morning in the fall. Most of the United States observes DST with a few exceptions.

One thing is for sure, changing our waking and sleeping times twice a year causes a disruption in our sleep cycle and DST is blamed for an increase in accidents. This disruption causes sleepiness, forgetfulness, and impaired memory until the body can readjust. These changes have also been found to affect the health of some people with an increase in heart attacks which occurs a few days after the start of DST as compared to any other time period.

Daylight Savings Time Blamed for Increased Accidents

Another problem occurring in the Fall, is that the earlier sunrise in the morning means that it gets dark sooner in the evening and drivers and pedestrians become less visible. This along with sleepiness, forgetfulness, impaired memory and added stress on the body adds to the potential for car accidents, workplace accidents, and accidents in general. Research data covering 20 years of studies in the U.S. found that car accidents increased significantly in the week following DST.

If you have been injured in a car accident in the Spring, Fall, or any time of year and it was the fault of another person you should always seek the advice of a car accident attorney. Your attorney will make sure your rights are protected while getting you full and fair compensation for your injuries.

Attorney Joel Baskin – Free Initial Consultation

Atlanta car accident attorney Joel Baskin is an experienced personal injury attorney who has been serving the Atlanta area including Cobb and Fulton counties for over 2 decades. Contact Joel for a free initial consultation, and see how Joel can help you with your accident injury claim.

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