TBOTECH Publishes Research Summary on What the November 1 Clock Change Does to Evening Safety

Studies find more robberies around sunset and more pedestrian crashes after clocks fall back; the article explains what the research does and doesn’t show.

BONITA SPRINGS, FL, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TBOTECH, an online retailer of non-lethal self defense and personal safety products, today published a research summary on what economists and traffic-safety researchers have found about the fall clock change, which takes place Sunday, November 1. The change moves sunset about an hour earlier, so more of the evening commute falls after dark.

The article, “Clocks Fall Back on November 1. What the Research Says About Walking in the Dark,” reviews three sources and sets out what each does and doesn’t show:

Robbery. When daylight saving time ends, reported robberies rise about 7 percent over the day, with a 27 percent increase in the hours during and just after sunset (Doleac and Sanders, Review of Economics and Statistics, 2015).

Traffic. In the five weeks after the fall change, fatal crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists rise 13 percent, while fatal crashes involving vehicle occupants fall 7.1 percent (Woods, Weast and Monfort, Journal of Safety Research, 2025).

Pedestrian deaths overall. U.S. pedestrian deaths fell for the third year in a row in 2025, but about 76 percent of 2024 pedestrian deaths with known lighting conditions occurred after dark, and pedestrian distraction was cited in 29.2 percent of 2024 fatal pedestrian crashes, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The article notes the limits of the research: the robbery data are from 2005 to 2008 and describe averages across hundreds of jurisdictions, not any one street, and the percentage changes sit on small bases.

“These studies don’t say an evening walk is dangerous. They show that risk shifts into predictable hours,” said Steve Thibeault, founder of TBOTECH. “Knowing that lets people plan: lit routes, being visible to drivers, and paying attention at crossings.”

The article also covers the policy debate. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow year-round daylight saving time, passed the U.S. House 308 to 117 on July 14, 2026, but has not passed the Senate, so the clocks change on schedule this year. Nineteen states have laws that would adopt permanent daylight saving time if federal law allowed it.

Read the full article: https://www.tbotech.com/blogs/safety-and-security/clocks-fall-back-evening-walking-safety

About TBOTECH: Founded in April 2000 by Steve Thibeault, a U.S. Army veteran, TBOTECH is an online retailer of non-lethal self defense and personal safety products, including pepper spray, personal alarms, and home security devices. The company publishes safety research summaries without guaranteed-outcome language, notes that no self-defense product guarantees any outcome, and advises verifying state and local laws before purchasing or carrying any device. Learn more at https://www.tbotech.com.

Steve Thibeault
TBOTECH Safety & Security LLC
steve@tbotech.com

Media gallery