Citation

Goodwin MB, Gonzalez F, Fontenla M. Appl. Econ. 2024; 56(1): 22-32.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00036846.2023.2166666

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

We analyse the effect of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on automobile, acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) and crime-related fatalities in Mexico from 1998 to 2018. We rely on a regression discontinuity approach to obtain the causal impact of DST on these three causes of mortality. We find an increase in automobile fatalities of 13% −14% during the fall and spring transitions. Automobile fatalities increase 27% in urban areas during the fall transition and 18% in rural areas for spring. Crime-related fatalities increase 16% for the whole country, 13% in urban areas and 16% in rural areas in the fall transition and 2% in rural areas in the spring transition. The only impact on AMI fatalities that we find is a small increase in urban areas during the spring transition. In general, our results estimate an increase of about 100 more deaths per year due to DST, which translates into a monetary cost of about $22 million U.S. dollars per year.

Language: en

Keywords

acute myocardial infarction; automobile fatalities; crime fatalities; Daylight saving time; I18; R41; regression discontinuity