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SALT LAKE CITY — Daylight saving time ends this weekend and researchers have long found interesting trends tied to the century-old habit of moving clocks forward and backward each year.
Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health outlined a few impacts of the practice, including increasing health risks and sleep pattern changes — most of which occur when an hour is lost in March. However, the organization's article didn't address wildlife impacts typically associated with the time change.
Saturday marks the final post-6 p.m. sunset until mid-February 2025. The sun will set at 5:21 p.m. in Salt Lake City on Sunday, and earlier in the day over the next several weeks, leading up to winter solstice on Dec. 21.
Deer typically start to migrate into valley community areas around October and November as snow returns to their mountain habitats, says Makeda Hanson, migration initiative coordinator at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The species is often more active around sunrise and sunset, as well.
With the time change, Hanson says November is the "peak time" for vehicle-deer collisions because both sunrise and sunset suddenly fall in the morning and evening rush hours during these changes in nature.
"It coincides with mating season and the annual migration of deer. Animals are crossing more roads during the migration, and male deer move around a lot more to find mates," she said. "It also doesn't help that the daylight hours are shorter during this time of year, creating lower visibility for drivers."
There have already been over 7,800 wildlife-vehicle collisions this year, according to the division. Collisions can also be quite costly for drivers and wildlife populations.
In 2022, Utah lawmakers began requiring the Utah Department of Transportation to track wildlife mitigation in its annual reports. Vehicle-wildlife collisions resulted in property damage and medical costs reaching as high as $138 million a year, according to Rep. Doug Owens, D-Millcreek, who sponsored a bill making the change.
UDOT has also installed wildlife bridges, fencing and other infrastructure in some areas to help reduce collisions.
Meanwhile, Utah wildlife officials say drivers should be "especially alert" around sunrise and sunset, particularly this month, and slow down when they see an animal near the roadway.
Wildlife Collision Prevention and Safety Tips
- Drive alertly and be cautious around wildlife crossing signs since they're placed in areas where wildlife normally crosses.
- Be alert when driving near wooded areas, wetlands and agricultural areas.
- Scan both sides of the road for wildlife and don't drive distracted.
- Use high-beam headlights when possible and look for the animal's "eyeshine" in the distance.
- Watch out for additional animals because some animals travel in groups.
- If you see wildlife on the road, stay in your lane and slow down. Honk your horn and flash your lights to urge them to move forward.
- Drive slowly if the animal crosses the road because it may try to cross again.
- Pull off the road and use hazard lights if a collision creates serious enough damage. Do not approach the injured animal.
- Report any collisions on the state's roadkill reporter app. The data used helps the UDOT and wildlife officials plan out future wildlife crossings, typically picking areas with high collision numbers.
For anyone longing for later sunsets, daylight saving time returns on March 9, 2025, when the sun will set at 7:28 p.m. in Salt Lake City. Of course, impacts associated with the loss of an hour will return then, too.
