COLUMBUS – Daylight saving time is running out, which means we turn our clocks back an hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
Daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November and ushers in a period of greater peril for pedestrians on Ohio’s roadways, transportation officials say.
It also renews a growing clamor for an end to the practice of “springing forward” and “falling back.”
Because of the reduced visibility that accompanies shorter days and fewer hours of sunlight, October, November and December are the deadliest months for people walking in the Buckeye State and account for 34% of annual pedestrian deaths since 2009, Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning said.
ODOT safety experts say motorists should slow down and be extra careful, turn on headlights, stop for pedestrians crossing the street and not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are encouraged to wear reflective clothing and lights to visibility, cross at intersections or in marked crosswalks, walk in the opposite direction of traffic while riding in the same direction.
Drivers, walkers and riders are all reminded to avoid distractions.
Many scientists say it’s time for a permanent ban on daylight saving time because of potential ill effects to human health.
Losing an hour of daylight sounds depressing, and at least one study found an increase in people seeking help for depression after turning the clocks back to standard time in November. That was in Scandinavia.
But research says the springtime start of daylight saving time may be even more harmful. Springing forward has been linked with more car accidents, heart attacks in vulnerable people and other health problems.