Police offer safety tips to drivers, pedestrians with clocks falling back this weekend

Many of us will get a most-welcome and much-needed extra hour of sleep this weekend as clocks fall back, but the time change also comes with a warning from police.

Daylight saving time officially comes to an end this when the clocks go back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday. The downside of the time shift means dusk comes earlier, which often causes issues for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Const. Sean Shapiro with Toronto Police Traffic Services tells CityNews that motorists and people out walking around need to be more alert than ever. He says police always anticipate an increase in pedestrian collisions this time of year.

“We will be continuously speaking and trying to raise awareness,” Shapiro says. “Encouraging people to try and get sleep, to try and leave extra time, to be more cautious.”

Shapiro recommends pedestrians wear brighter clothing, only cross the street at designated crosswalks and try to stay in well lit areas. He also stresses the importance of pedestrians paying attention to their surroundings, which means staying off of cellphones when near traffic.

“These are things to help drivers see them,” he says. “Very often we have drivers who are tired, speeding, using their phones, (but pedestrians) aren’t even looking.”

“We want to increase the odds of them being seen.”

The City of Toronto is out with their own warning to drivers, saying pedestrian collisions increase by more than 30 per cent during the evening commute between November and March.

The city is asking drivers to use the following safety tips when the clocks fall back:

• When driving, please slow down and turn slowly. Always stay alert.
• Make sure vehicle headlights and signal lights are functioning properly.
• Obey speed limits and approach all crosswalks, intersections and transit stops with caution.
• Give yourself plenty of time wherever you’re going and plan your route in advance. Use public transit when possible.

Whatever happened to Ontario’s plan to ditch time changes?

 Ontario passed a bill back in 2020 to permanently stay on Daylight Saving Time, but no change has been made as of yet.

The legislation passed in Ontario included a very important caveat – both Quebec and New York State had to make the move at the same time. The Ford government told CityNews earlier this year, despite the legislation, nothing’s changed and they’re not willing to go it alone.

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously last year to permanently stick with daylight saving time, but that bill ended up stalling in the House of Representatives.

Those in favour of a permanent move say it will lead to fewer car crashes, less energy use and improved health. Those against say the mornings would just be too dark during the months of December and January.