Break-Ins, Burglaries Occur More After Daylight Savings Time, Studies Show

MILLBURN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- On Sunday morning, people turned back their clocks for Daylight Savings Time -- making the mornings a bit brighter with an extra hour of early sunshine.

"I love it. It's so nice to be able to get up, see the sunshine, get out, work out in the park," Tovah Segelman, of Scotch Plains, said. "It's awesome."

But earlier mornings also mean earlier sunsets and darker evening hours. Studies show car break-ins and home burglaries increase as soon as the clocks turn back -- especially between the hours of five and eight, when people are still commuting home.

"That's frightening, it really is," Daria MacDonald, of Westfield, told CBS2's Christine Sloan. "It would be concerning for sure."

Burglars can tell when people are not home based on common signals - like trash cans on the curb or newspapers left in the driveway.

"If you notice you're neighbor's house is dark at sunset, tell your neighbors," Dan Coleman, a private investigator and former detective, said. "Tell them to put some lights on timers."

According to Coleman, there are several types of gadgets to protect your home -- like an app that links surveillance cameras to your door bell.

Thieves also target cars parked in dark public lots and train stations as people are leaving for work.

"They're targeting malls and what they're doing is actually following people home so they can steal their cars," Coleman said.

There is an upside, though -- an extra early hour of sunshine means safer conditions for kids heading off to school in the morning.