Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend.
We go back to Standard Time Sunday morning at 2 a.m., and even though we gain an hour of sleep, it will still disturb sleep patterns.
The time change brings earlier sunsets to already shorter days - along with dangers on the roadways according to AAA.
The earlier dusk and darkness during the evening commute combined with the change in sleep patterns could bring drowsy driving and fatigue-related crashes – conditions many drivers may be unaware of following the time change.
"So you need to make sure that you are alert and aware, buckled up as always, eliminate distractions and really paying attention. Because we've got increased pedestrians in darkness, with kids coming home from school late after activities. You have the evening commute, and it is also still the height of deer mating season. So, we have increased activity of deer out there on the roadways," said AAA’s Jana Tidwell.
AAA urges motorists to slow down, increase following distance and use headlights to be more visible in late afternoon and early evening.
There are also dangers during the morning according to Tidwell.
"There will be sun glare, as the morning commute is a little bit brighter than normal as we head back into standard time,” said Tidwell. “This is the time of year where we have fewer daylight hours, but the morning commutes will be exceptionally bright here for a while."
The sun glare in the morning commute will be similar to the afternoon commute we’ve seen in the fall the last few weeks according to Tidwell.
