Spectral Analysis of the Effects of Daylight Saving Time on Motor Vehicle Fatal Traffic Accidents

Details

• Creators:
  Meyerhoff, Norman J.
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Crash rates
  • Traffic crashes
  • Traffic safety
  • Fatalities
  • Injuries
  • Fourier analysis
  • Statistical analysis
  • Statistics
  • Correlation analysis
  • Daylight saving time
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-TSC-NHTSA-77-2 ; DOT-HS-802-324
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Abstract:
  This report shows that Daylight Saving Time (DST) reduces the number of persons killed in motor vehicle fatal traffic accidents by about one percent. This estimate is based on a spectral (Fourier) analysis of these fatalities which utilizes a filtering technique to identify the part of the fatality frequency spectrum which is sensitive to DST while suppressing all other frequencies. To establish a cause/effect relationship between DST and changes in the filtered fatality time series, the changes are measured in two ways: (1) Across DST transitions and (2) for corresponding dates in years with and without DST. Certain statistical criteria are then applied to these measurements in order to confirm the existence of a DST effect on accidents and fatalities.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11963/dot_11963_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.25 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:f8d80e4e7c9a96bff530e309004d691b06730eb6049dcb57c4179330ece5febd