Insurance brokers outside of Saskatchewan may have their hands busy fielding more calls this week over auto claims.
According to information from Manitoba Public Insurance, “springing forward” into daylight saving time results in a significant increase in accidents on that province’s roadways. In fact, collision data from 2014 shows a marked 20 per cent surge in claims in the days after the time change.
Saskatchewan doesn't take part in daylight saving time.
MPI speculates that the loss of an hour of sleep, as well as poorer visibility, may contribute to the increase in crashes.
“Last year there were 300 collisions reported on the Monday following the daylight saving time, and that’s compared to an average of 248 for all the other Mondays in 2014,” said MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley, noting that last year was particularly bad for drivers.
Indeed, sleep experts say that despite losing just one hour of rest over daylight saving time, many people will require two or three days to adapt to the change. It’s even worse for people who already suffer from sleep deprivation.
Dr. Diana McMillan, an expert on sleep and sleep deprivation, told CBC that people typically lose about 40 minutes of sleep when the time changes—just enough to throw off routine and potentially explain the problems behind the wheel.
With an effect on “vigilance, (and) how we react in terms of motor function,” it’s no wonder insurers are seeing a rise in claims.
“It’s one thing to have one person be running a little late, but with everybody in the city running a little late, it certainly can contribute even more to why the roads are riskier,” McMillan said.
The phenomenon has also been recorded among U.S. and British drivers. South of the border, Americans are involved in 83.5 accidents on the Monday following daylight saving time, versus the 78.2 on an average Monday.
In fact, accidental deaths of any kind are more likely in the days following the time change, according to research from the University of British Columbia. Accidental deaths increase by 6.5 per cent in the week following the start of daylight savings time — more than in any other period of the year.
