Daylight Saving Time brings road safety concerns, sleep disruption

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - Clocks move forward one hour this weekend, and Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship is urging drivers to take extra precautions during the days that follow.

“Drivers who may still have to be at work at seven o’clock in the morning may have to leave their house before the sun’s up,” Blankenship said. “And they have difficulty driving in the nighttime hours, too. So, it poses a little bit of safety concern for them while they’re driving as well.”

Blankenship said one hazard drivers may not anticipate is school buses operating before sunrise in rural parts of the county.

“You don’t expect to see school buses running in the dark. It’s just that it’s not a norm,” he said. “But during this little bit of time until the summer gets here and it kind of balances out, oftentimes we’ll have rural areas of the county to where the school buses are running, and it’s still dark outside.”

Blankenship advises parents and children to stay well away from roadways while waiting for the bus. He also recommends drivers give themselves extra time and stay alert for hazards.

Residents in Dothan offered differing views on the time change.

Zatoria, a Burger King manager, said the lost hour affects her sleep but said she welcomes the shift.

“I’m going to lose a lot of sleep because I love to sleep,” she said. “But I feel like this year, it’ll be a different change. Because the summer and the spring is coming in a little early. So, that way during the daytime, we can be outside, enjoy this pretty weather, and stuff.”

Edridge said the change disrupts his daily routine.

“Having that hour ahead is more like exhausting to me,” he said. “I like it to be darker earlier because I can get my day to wind down and go through my little steps and this and then it still be light.”

Alabama passed a law in 2021 to permanently observe daylight saving time, but the measure cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law.

Fire officials also recommend using the clock change as a reminder to replace smoke detector batteries.

Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!