title: Daylight saving time can decrease the frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
abstract: Daylight saving time (DST) could reduce collisions with wildlife by changing the timing of commuter traffic relative to the behaviour of nocturnal animals. To test this idea, we tracked wild koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in southeast Queensland, where koalas have declined by 80% in the last 20 years, and compared their movements with traffic patterns along roads where they are often killed. Using a simple model, we found that DST could decrease collisions with koalas by 8% on weekdays and 11% at weekends, simply by shifting the timing of traffic relative to darkness. Wildlife conservation and road safety should become part of the debate on DST.
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Sean I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: FitzGibbon
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Niehaus
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Gwendolyn K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: PO 73 New Brighton, New South Wales 2483, Australia.
authors.forename: Brendan D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsushige
authors.affiliation: Koala Research Centre of Central Queensland, School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland 4702, Australia.
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melzer
authors.affiliation: Primate Research Institute and Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama 484-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Fred B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bercovitch
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.affiliation: Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Queensland 4111, Australia.
authors.forename: Darryl N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Queensland 4111, Australia.
authors.forename: Cathryn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dexter
authors.affiliation: Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Beerwah, Queensland 4519, Australia.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gillett
authors.affiliation: Science Division, Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, P.O. Box 1967, Hurstville, New South Wales 2220, Australia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Predavec
authors.affiliation: Science Division, Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, P.O. Box 1967, Hurstville, New South Wales 2220, Australia.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lunney
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia r.wilson@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Robbie S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0116-5427
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D008124:Locomotion; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D048368:Phascolarctidae / Q000502:physiology*; D017440:Photoperiod; D011793:Queensland; D012449:Safety
keywords: conservation; daylight saving; wildlife conservation; wildlife–vehicle collisions