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Spring forward, don't fall back: The effect of daylight saving time on road safety

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  • Bünnings, Christian
  • Schiele, Valentin

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the effect of light conditions on road accidents and estimate the long run consequences of different time regimes for road safety. Identification is based on variation in light conditions induced by differences in sunrise and sunset times across space and time. We find that darkness causes annual costs of £790 million. By setting daylight saving time year-round and, hence, shifting more daylight to the evening, 10 percent of these costs could be saved. Thus, focusing solely on the short run costs related to the transition itself underestimates the total costs of the current time regime.

Suggested Citation

  • Bünnings, Christian & Schiele, Valentin, 2018. "Spring forward, don't fall back: The effect of daylight saving time on road safety," Ruhr Economic Papers 768, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:rwirep:768
    DOI: 10.4419/86788896
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    Cited by:

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    2. Depalo, Domenico, 2023. "Should the Daylight Saving Time be abolished? Evidence from work accidents in Italy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Marco Francesconi & Jonathan James, 2022. "Alcohol Price Floors and Externalities: The Case of Fatal Road Crashes," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 1118-1156, September.
    4. Kudela, Peter & Havranek, Tomas & Herman, Dominik & Irsova, Zuzana, 2020. "Does daylight saving time save electricity? Evidence from Slovakia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    5. Laliotis, Ioannis & Moscelli, Giuseppe & Monastiriotis, Vassilis, 2023. "Summertime and the drivin’ is easy? Daylight saving time and vehicle accidents," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 119374, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    road accidents; light conditions; daylight saving time;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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