Daylight Saving Time Returns, Time to Check the Smoke Detectors

Daylight Saving Time arrives at 2 a.m. Sunday.

In addition to setting clocks ahead an hour, you are reminded to clean smoke detectors, change batteries on older models, check the expiration on newer enclosed units and test the devices.

Countless injuries, property damage and even deaths could be prevented with working smoke detectors according to fire officials.  The New York State Association of Firefighters also recommends families form emergency evacuation plans for the event of a fire and practice fire drills much like schools hold regular fire drills.

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Meanwhile traffic safety experts have their own concerns about the time change twice a year.  Especially in the spring when the clocks move forward and an hour of sleep is “lost”, incidents of traffic accidents attributed to inattention and drowsy driving are shown to increase for a few days after the time change.

Insurance numbers also show an increase in the number of vehicle collisions with wildlife around the annual time change.  Wildlife is more active at sunrise and sunset no matter what humans' clocks say.