Clocks Fell Back: Crash Tips for Milwaukee's Darker Commute

Daylight saving time ended this morning, and starting this week a lot of Milwaukee drivers will make the trip home in the dark. Sunset now lands before 5 pm and keeps creeping earlier into December, which puts the evening rush right in the window when visibility drops, pedestrians are harder to see, and drivers are tired. Add early-season rain, wet leaves, and the first slick mornings, and November becomes one of the busiest crash months of the year for our crew. Here's how to handle it if it happens to you.

Expect a rough first couple of weeks

The weeks right after the time change are when the adjustment hits hardest. Your body clock is off, the glare from a low sun at 4:30 catches you off guard, and that same stretch of Fond du Lac Ave, Capitol Drive, or Silver Spring you drive every day suddenly looks different at dusk. Leave a little extra following distance, clean the inside of your windshield (the haze makes glare much worse), and make sure your headlights are actually on, not just your daytime running lights.

Right after a crash: safety first

Turn on your hazards and check on yourself and your passengers before anything else. If anyone is hurt, call 911. If no one is injured and the cars can be driven, Wisconsin's "Steer It, Clear It" law asks you to move them out of the travel lanes, onto the shoulder or into a nearby parking lot. Sitting in a live lane at dusk is how one crash turns into two. If a car can't move or someone is hurt, leave it where it is, stay belted in with hazards on, and wait for help.

When you have to call the police

In Wisconsin, a crash involving an injury, a death, or roughly $1,000 or more in damage has to be reported. With today's bumpers, sensors, and headlights, nearly any real collision clears that bar, so it's smart to call. If police don't come out and file a report, the drivers are responsible for reporting the crash to the Wisconsin DOT themselves within 10 days. A police report also makes the insurance process much smoother.

Swap info and document everything

Exchange names, phone numbers, insurance details, and plate numbers with the other driver. Then take photos of both vehicles, the damage, the intersection, traffic signals, and any street signs, from a few angles. Note the time and the light conditions; at dusk, a photo with the flash on can capture details your eyes miss. Keep the conversation polite and factual, and leave the question of fault to the police and the insurance companies.

Don't drive a car that isn't road-safe

A front-end hit like the one pictured above almost always means radiator, cooling, or suspension damage, even when the engine still starts. Don't drive it if you see fluid leaking, a wheel looks out of line, the hood won't latch, a headlight or turn signal is out, or anything is rubbing a tire. Driving home without headlights in November isn't just risky, it's a ticket waiting to happen. A flatbed tow loads the car with all four wheels off the ground, which protects a damaged front end and keeps AWD vehicles and EVs safe on the way to the shop.

You choose the tow and the shop

After a crash, you have the right to choose who tows your car and where it goes. If you already have a body shop you trust, or your insurer has a preferred one, tell us and we'll take it there directly. Getting it to the right place the first time saves you storage fees and a second tow bill.

Keep an emergency kit in the car this season

Now is the time to restock before the snow flies: a flashlight with fresh batteries, a phone charger, gloves, a warm layer, a blanket, and a couple of reflective triangles or flares. If you end up waiting on the shoulder on a cold November evening, you'll be glad they're there.