As we put our clocks forward an hour last Saturday night for the start of Daylight Savings Time, a new ICBC survey revealed that one-third of B.C. drivers admit to feeling less alert after the time change.
According to the survey, 34 per cent of drivers said the time shift does affect them and make them feel less alert even though many are also making an effort to help their bodies adapt.
"We're actually encouraged to see that many drivers have the self-awareness to know that they may have a diminished capacity to drive safely immediately following the time change," said John Vavrik, a psychologist with ICBC. "This is a much better attitude to have than being over-confident that you're not affected which tends to increase your crash risk."
ICBC's survey also found that females report being more negatively impacted by the change even though they generally have a lower crash risk compared to males. More than half of male drivers report getting enough sleep during the time change, which is good news as they tend to have a higher crash risk.
Studies show that the switch into Daylight Savings Time can have a dramatic effect on disrupting our regular sleep cycle as it puts us out of sync with our circadian rhythm.
"The change in our sleep cycle can cause unique dangers on our roads as some drivers will feel more fatigued than usual," said Vavrik. "Given that, it's also encouraging to see that almost one-third of drivers actually go to bed earlier to adapt to the change."
The biggest impacts of the time change on drivers can be felt on some of the key skills that affect the quality of our driving - poorer concentration, alertness behind the wheel and reaction time to potential hazards.
The real danger can be that people often believe if they don't feel tired then they aren't fatigued but this isn't the case - the time change can make us feel more fatigued without us even knowing it.
March is fraud prevention month
RCMP in the province are asking residents to be aware of ponzi schemes that target groups of likeminded people as they recognize March as fraud prevention month.
Such schemes are referred to as affinity fraud and often target church congregations, employees working together in offices, sports clubs etc. Slick talking individuals ingratiate themselves into the targeted group and convince them to invest in stocks claiming high rates of return. The initial investors will unknowingly receive financial returns that are generated from new investors and not returns on the stock. Investors should always question themselves about promises of high returns and other financial guarantees.
If you have any questions contact the Vancouver Integrated Market Enforcement Team at 1-604-331-1200.
The Integrated Market Enforcement Team program prevents, investigates and supports the prosecution of serious Criminal Code capital markets fraud offences that are of regional or national significance and that threaten investor confidence or economic stability in Canada.
