Sa. Ferguson et al., DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AND MOTOR-VEHICLE CRASHES - THE REDUCTION IN PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICLE OCCUPANT FATALITIES, American journal of public health, 85(1), 1995, pp. 92-95
Fatal crashes were tabulated for 6-hour periods around sunrise and sun
set, from 13 weeks before the fall change to standard time until 9 wee
ks after the spring change to daylight saving time. Fatal-crash occurr
ence was related to changes in daylight, whether these changes occurre
d abruptly with the fall and spring time changes or gradually with the
changing seasons of the year. During daylight saving time, which shif
ts an hour of daylight to the busier evening traffic hours, there were
fewer fatal crashes. An estimated 901 fewer fatal crashes (727 involv
ing pedestrians, 174 involving vehicle occupants) might have occurred
if daylight saving time had been retained year-round from 1987 through
1991.