The clocks fell back on Sunday morning. Most of us noticed the extra hour of sleep, maybe reset a few clocks around the house, and moved on with the week. But there is a dangerous consequence of the fall time change that very few drivers think about, and that every North Carolina pedestrian and driver should keep in mind over the next several weeks.
Pedestrian deaths spike dramatically in the first weeks after the fall time change. The data is clear, the pattern repeats year after year, so we know that the next few weeks on our roads will be some of the deadliest of the year for people on foot or riding bicycles/scooters.
Data Confirms Increased Danger For Pedestrians
A 2025 study published in the Journal of Safety Research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analyzed ten years of federal crash data. The finding was striking: fatal vehicle accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists increased by 13% in the five weeks immediately following the fall time change. In the spring, when the clocks move forward and evenings stay lighter, those same fatal incidents decreased by 24%.
Separate analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data from 2015 to 2024 found that nationwide pedestrian deaths during the evening commute hours (5pm to 6:59pm) rose from an average of 528 in October to 1,835 in November, roughly 3.5 times as many deaths in a single month. November, December, and January together accounted for 62% of all evening-commute pedestrian deaths over that decade.
The reason is simple. Darkness suddenly moves a full hour into the evening rush. On Saturday, a driver heading home at 6:00 PM had daylight. On Monday, the same drive is in the dark. Drivers’ habits, speeds, and expectations about who is around them do not adjust overnight. Neither do the sight lines on familiar roads.
Why This Matters More Than Ever in North Carolina
In 2024, 281 pedestrians were killed on North Carolina roads, according to the NCDOT 2024 Traffic Crash Facts report. That was a 12% increase over the prior year, and part of a longer upward trend that has made North Carolina one of the most dangerous states in the country for people on foot. The data also showed that 66% of fatal pedestrian and bicycle crashes in North Carolina occurred where no sidewalk was present, meaning people on foot were sharing roadway space with vehicles traveling at full speed.
The time change comes right as other seasonal factors converge:
- More people are out in parking lots, crosswalks, and sidewalks after dark because they are leaving work, picking up kids, shopping for the holidays, and running errands that used to happen in daylight.
- Shopping season brings more foot traffic in and around retail parking lots.
- The holiday season brings more alcohol-related driving.
- Larger vehicles, which now make up a growing share of the fleet, are both harder to see over and more likely to cause fatal injuries when they strike a pedestrian.
- Dusk glare directly into drivers’ eyes on east-west roads at the busiest time of day reduces visibility further.
What Drivers Should Do This Week and the Next Several Weeks
The next three to five weeks are the window where this spike happens. A few specific things every North Carolina driver can do to reduce the risk:
Slow down after dark, especially between 5 PM and 7 PM. Speed is the single biggest factor in whether a pedestrian survives being hit. According to NCDOT data, a pedestrian struck at 32 mph has a 75% chance of surviving. At 42 mph, that drops to 50%. Ten miles per hour can be the difference between life and death.
Expect pedestrians where you did not expect them a week ago. The person walking from the grocery store parking lot to their car, the kid walking home from a friend’s house, the jogger crossing a side street, all of them are now doing those things in the dark. They may not be where you think they will be, and they may be harder to see than you think they are.
Scan parking lots, sidewalks, and crosswalks actively. The default driver habit is to watch for other vehicles. For the next several weeks, actively look for people on foot in every parking lot, at every intersection, and along every stretch of road without a sidewalk.
Clean your headlights and windshield. Dirty headlights can reduce visibility by 50% or more. A clean windshield reduces glare from oncoming headlights. Both of these precautions are free and take just a few minutes.
Put the phone down. Distracted driving is dangerous in daylight. In the dark, with lower visibility and shorter reaction time, distracted driving is deadly.
Advice For NC Pedestrians
If you walk, jog, or bike anywhere near traffic, visibility is now your first line of defense. Take steps to make sure you can be easily seen, and stay in well-lit areas whenever possible. Wear light-colored or reflective clothing. Carry a flashlight or use the one on your phone when crossing streets. Make eye contact with drivers before stepping into any crosswalk. Also, the safest practice is to assume that drivers do not see you until you have confirmed that they do.
A Note From Our Firm
Our firm handles only serious motor vehicle accident cases in North Carolina, and we see cases involving pedestrian with serious injuries every year. The ones that happen in November, December, and January are often the most devastating because the injuries are catastrophic and the underlying accidents are preventable. A driver going five miles per hour slower, paying attention to the sidewalk and crosswalks, or driving as though they expect to see pedestrians near roadways or in commercial parking lots or other high-foot-traffic areas: these small adjustments save lives.
If you or a family member has been seriously injured as a pedestrian, or if a loved one has lost their life, there are specific legal issues that apply to North Carolina pedestrian accident cases, including our state’s contributory negligence rule and the specific insurance coverages that may apply. Please contact our office if you have questions. Consultations are free, and we are glad to simply provide answers and advice if that’s all you need.
For now, the simplest thing we can all do over the next several weeks is drive like we expect someone to be there. Because, statistically, more and more of them are.
This post is for general information and is not legal advice. If you have been injured in a crash in North Carolina, talk to a licensed North Carolina attorney about your particular situation.