Mar 7, 2026 07:38 PM
RELATED (wikipedia): Daylight saving time
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The surprising science behind why daylight saving time is good for wildlife
https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...-wildlife/
EXCERPTS: In the U.S. alone, drivers may collide with deer as frequently as more than a million times a year, based on estimates compiled by the Federal Highway Administration, and other large animals—usually moose, elk and other ungulates—are often hit as well. These crashes frequently kill the animals and lead to hundreds of human deaths.
[...] Human-animal crashes typically occur on Fridays because people are leaving town for the weekend; under full moons because deer are more likely to be on the move; during the fall deer mating season in North America; and at dusk. “The animals get active right after dusk and start moving around, including crossing roads or browsing and grazing along roads, and that’s when they they’re hit by vehicles,” Langen says.
Setting the clocks back in the fall—pushing peak evening commuting hours closer to dusk or after the sun goes down—also drives up the odds of cars hitting animals. In a 2021 analysis of more than 35,000 deer-vehicle collisions in New York State, Langen and a co-author concluded that falling back to standard time from DST contributed to “far higher” accident rates, with the greatest increases on work days.
[...] Setting the clocks forward in the spring means darker morning commutes but not much added risk for deer and other ungulates. That’s partially because deer tend to be less active in the spring, Langen says. But it’s also because evening commutes will mostly occur before dusk.
In other words, from a human perspective, daylight saving is a hit or miss, depending on who you ask. (And polling indicates that opinions on it are mixed.) But for animals like deer, a switch to permanent daylight saving time in North America would almost certainly reduce roadkill, Langen says.
And it’s not just deer and ungulates that are at risk—other mammals, including raccoons, skunks and foxes, are also active at dusk, Langen says. In Australia, research shows even koalas could see a benefit to a shift to permanent DST... (MORE - details)
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The surprising science behind why daylight saving time is good for wildlife
https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...-wildlife/
EXCERPTS: In the U.S. alone, drivers may collide with deer as frequently as more than a million times a year, based on estimates compiled by the Federal Highway Administration, and other large animals—usually moose, elk and other ungulates—are often hit as well. These crashes frequently kill the animals and lead to hundreds of human deaths.
[...] Human-animal crashes typically occur on Fridays because people are leaving town for the weekend; under full moons because deer are more likely to be on the move; during the fall deer mating season in North America; and at dusk. “The animals get active right after dusk and start moving around, including crossing roads or browsing and grazing along roads, and that’s when they they’re hit by vehicles,” Langen says.
Setting the clocks back in the fall—pushing peak evening commuting hours closer to dusk or after the sun goes down—also drives up the odds of cars hitting animals. In a 2021 analysis of more than 35,000 deer-vehicle collisions in New York State, Langen and a co-author concluded that falling back to standard time from DST contributed to “far higher” accident rates, with the greatest increases on work days.
[...] Setting the clocks forward in the spring means darker morning commutes but not much added risk for deer and other ungulates. That’s partially because deer tend to be less active in the spring, Langen says. But it’s also because evening commutes will mostly occur before dusk.
In other words, from a human perspective, daylight saving is a hit or miss, depending on who you ask. (And polling indicates that opinions on it are mixed.) But for animals like deer, a switch to permanent daylight saving time in North America would almost certainly reduce roadkill, Langen says.
And it’s not just deer and ungulates that are at risk—other mammals, including raccoons, skunks and foxes, are also active at dusk, Langen says. In Australia, research shows even koalas could see a benefit to a shift to permanent DST... (MORE - details)