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Updated: Jun 16, 2025
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
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Long-term effects of daylight saving time on driving fatigue
Federico Orsini1,2,3, Esther Dingena Domenie4, Lisa Zarantonello4
1Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Heliyon
|August 15, 2024
Summary
Daylight Saving Time (DST) significantly increases driving fatigue, impairing vehicle control and increasing sleepiness. These effects persist throughout DST periods, impacting road safety.
Area of Science:
- Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
- Road Safety and Transportation Science
Background:
- Previous research on Daylight Saving Time (DST) and road safety shows mixed results, often due to limitations in crash-database analyses.
- Difficulty in distinguishing between positive (lighting) and negative (circadian) effects of DST complicates understanding its impact on road safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of DST on driving fatigue using objective and subjective measures.
- To assess the effects of both Spring forward and Autumn back DST transitions on driver performance.
Main Methods:
- A driving simulator experiment was conducted with 37 participants undertaking 50-minute monotonous highway driving trials.
- Measurements included vehicle lateral control, eyelid closure (physiological), and subjective fatigue indicators.
- Trials were conducted before DST, during the week after the Spring transition, four weeks after, and during the week of and after the Autumn transition.
Main Results:
- Adverse effects on vehicle lateral control and eyelid closure were observed in the weeks following the Spring DST transition.
- Vehicle control worsened further during the Autumn transition period.
- Participants underestimated their decline in performance, indicating a lack of subjective awareness of increased fatigue.
Conclusions:
- Daylight Saving Time (DST) demonstrably increases driving fatigue throughout its duration.
- The observed driving impairment is comparable to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.5 g/L.
- DST negatively impacts driver vigilance and performance, posing a significant risk to road safety.
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