It's the time of year again when most clocks in B.C. "spring forward" by an hour, and safety experts say it's also the week when the province sees a spike in the number of accidents.
John Dickinson, director of road safety for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, says road users face a greater risk of collisions during the period right after the switch from local standard time back to daylight saving time.
"Of course the great news is more light during the afternoon, but the bad news is darkness in the morning," he said.
"Combine that with the fact we seem to be back to our traditional rainy pattern — it can raise the risk of a crash if people are feeling tired combined with worsening road conditions."
Dickinson also said that combining the darker mornings and wet roads with an hour less of sleep compounds the problem.
"People are more fatigued because they may be off on their time because of the time shift. Many people don't adapt and, say, go to bed earlier and get plenty of rest, so their rhythm maybe a little off."
An ICBC survey shows 34 per cent of B.C. drivers admit the time shift makes them feel less alert, and the corporation is asking road users across most of the province try to get some extra sleep before Monday's commute.
A number of B.C. communities avoid the clock confusion by not taking part in the daylight saving time switch.
Creston, Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Hudson's Hope, Fort St. John, Taylor and Tumbler Ridge instead align themselves with mountain time in the winter months, and pacific time in the summer months.