BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Daylight Saving Time ends on this weekend. However, several states are pushing the federal government to make daylight saving permanent through a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act. This act would take effect next March if President Biden signs it into law.
On top of shorter daylight hours, deer are out in full force this time of year. In fact, both the state DMV and Department of Environmental Conservation warned drivers just last that over 40% of the crashes involving deer last year happened in October, November and December.
Today, a new study from Current Biology was published and found that the number of crashes involving deer jumps 16% the week after daylight saving time ends. It suggests if daylight saving was kept year-round it would prevent dozens of human deaths, save drivers nationwide almost $1.2 billion every year and save more than 36,000 deer from being hit and killed.
Cheektowaga resident Rob Lucas knows all too well the impact Daylight Saving Time can have on drivers and the deer. Lucas told 7 News he see's deer around his neighborhood all the time.
"During the day when the sun's coming down there's blind spots where they just run right out in front of you," said Rob Lucas, Cheektowaga Resident.
Lucas has a caution deer sign right outside his house on the front lawn. However, when it comes to deer in the roads, it hit even closer to home when he got this call from his mother.
"She called me and said she hit a deer with her car," said Lucas. "I was like that's not something that you want to hear."
"I look up and there's a big buck in front of me," said Patricia Lucas, Owner and Driver of the car. "I couldn’t do anything. I swept him out. His whole back went into the windshield and he rolled over the top. Well thank God the guy behind me stopped and he said he goes if you were going any faster he would have been in the car with you."
Lucas said she was devastated after the buck's rack scratched her baby blue Corvette and left fur jammed in the paint.
"It actually gave me a phobia about driving because I'm afraid of them being there because he came out of nowhere," said Lucas.
Elizabeth Carey, Director of Public Relations for the American Automobile Association (AAA) said with the end of Daylight Saving a few days away, the chances of your car coming face to face with a deer could increase.
"It's the number one month for animal collisions," said Carey. "So, there are a lot of deer out on the road and their clocks are set a certain way and they don't change theirs."
Carey said as it gets darker earlier in the evening you should scan the roads, follow the speed limit and be more aware of kids coming home from school, pedestrians running or riding their bikes and other cars on the road.
"These are all distractions on the road," said Carey. "And if you talk about the animal crashes, I mean there were more than 34,000 in New York State last year. And Erie County is one of the top counties in the state for these car deer collisions. There were more than 1,000 animal collisions last year in Erie County so that ranks as number 8 across the entire state."
AAA analyzed New York State data, and here are the top 10 counties for animal crashes in 2021:
• Suffolk (1,367)
• Monroe (1,358)
• Orange (1,356)
• Oneida (1,269)
• St. Lawrence (1,260)
• Jefferson (1,217)
• Ontario (1,196)
• Erie (1,008)
• Onondaga (972)
• Livingston (929)
Dan Fisher, AAA Emergency Road Services Dispatch Manager said if you do find yourself stuck on the side of the road after an accident, you should stay inside the vehicle where he says you're more safe. He also said to turn on your hazard lights and call 911.
"Certainly call for help," said Fisher. "Oftentimes with deer collisions, although not the best driving conditions, the vehicles are still drivable so try to get off to a safe haven somewhere."
AAA said it's also a great time to check your headlights. They said if your lights are yellowing, clouding or hard to see, have them replaced right away.
