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The Unexpected Effects of Daylightsaving time: Traffic Accidents in Mexican Municipalities

Author

Listed:
  • Hugo Salas Rodríguez

    (IPA)

  • Pedro I. Hancevic

    (CIDE)

Abstract

Approximately 70 countries worldwide implement a daylight-saving time (DST) policy: setting their clocks forward in the spring and back in the fall. The main purpose of this practice is to save on electricity. However, by artificially changing the distribution of daylight, this practice can have unforeseen effects. This document provides an analysis of the impact of DST on traffic accidents in Mexico, using two empirical strategies: regression discontinuity design (RDD) and difference-in-differences (DD). The main finding is that setting the clocks forward an hour significantly lowers the total number of traffic accidents in the country’s metropolitan areas. However, there is no clear effect on the number of fatal traffic accidents.

Suggested Citation

  • Hugo Salas Rodríguez & Pedro I. Hancevic, 2022. "The Unexpected Effects of Daylightsaving time: Traffic Accidents in Mexican Municipalities," Working Papers 106, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    • Handle: RePEc:aoz:wpaper:106
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    File URL: https://rednie.eco.unc.edu.ar/files/DT/106.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    : traffic accidents; daylight saving time; difference-in-differences; regression discontinuity; municipalities in Mexico;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation

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