Canadians are sleep-deprived. Research from Statistics Canada
suggests we're getting about one hour less sleep each night
than a decade ago, and fully one-third of us are not getting the
minimum amount of sleep our bodies require.
With this in mind, there will probably be a great deal of
rejoicing across much of the country on Nov. 3. Canadians who
observe daylight savings time turn back their clocks and gain an
extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning. Of course, there will also
be grumbling in the spring when that hour is clawed back.
Changing our clocks twice a year can have an impact on our lives
in another way, however. Research suggests that daylight savings
time affects road safety. In this blog, I'll explain why the
biannual time change causes a short-term rise in
car accidents and
pedestrian fatalities, but likely prevents more injuries and
deaths on the roads over the long-term.
