【2003 Archives】

003 ArchivesU.S. Senate apparently likes daylight saving time so much that it wants to make it permanent. Legislators unanimously voted to approve the Sunshine Protection Act on March 15, 2022, which would establish daylight saving time as the default all year round for the states that observe it — meaning darker mornings and brighter evenings in winter.

The bill must be passed by the House of Representatives and then signed by the President before it can come into effect. But if it does, Americans will no longer have to change their clocks twice every year starting from 2023.

"The public safety improvements, economic benefits, and the wellbeing of the American people are all excellent and credible reasons to embrace year-long Daylight Saving Time," said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. "I believe the Sunshine Protection Act would give us an immediate and long-term boost after a terrible pandemic year and a very dark winter."

Time zones will remain in place and unaffected, and states or territories which don't already observe daylight saving time won't be forced to do so.

Why do we even have daylight saving time in the U.S.?

Daylight saving time was first introduced to the U.S. in 1918 as a means of saving fuel during World War I, copying Germany's adoption of the practice in 1916. It was extremely unpopular with farmers, who had less morning light to help with their work, and was quickly scrapped as a national measure after the war.

However, some localities decided to keep daylight saving time — most notably New York City. Daylight saving time was more popular in urban areas because it provided more daylight after work hours for shopping and recreation, the increased spending also boosting the economy. Thus while rural areas were eschewing daylight saving time, cities were adopting it.

The U.S. reinstated a national daylight saving time during World War II, then abolished it again after the war ended in 1945. But the overall discord and confusion regarding time across the country remained, eventually prompting the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This law established time zones and daylight saving time, mandating that an entire state must stick to the same time, and that states which opt to use daylight saving time must change their clocks on nationally set dates.

Various experiments and amendments have been executed since then, including a fuel-conserving trial of year-round daylight saving time from 1974 to '75, and changes to start and end dates to extend daylight saving time.

The case for switching to daylight saving time permanently

Aside from averting missed meetings and no longer having to adjust all your clocks, supporters of the Sunshine Protection Act extol numerous benefits to permanently adopting daylight saving time.

The most immediately obvious purported upside is the energy saved, as people are expected to turn their lights on one hour later. Yet studies have been mixed or inconclusive regarding daylight saving time's actual impact on energy consumption, with some finding either minimal reduction or an actual increase.

Fortunately there are many other positive effects that make the switch to permanent daylight saving time well worth it. Moving our clocks forward to daylight saving time every year causes significant disruption to our sleep patterns, correlating to higher rates of strokes and heart attacks, and exacerbated mood disorders. A 2015 study found that people over 65 are 20 percent more likely to have a stroke in the two to five days after transitioning to daylight saving time than at any other time of the year.

Abolishing this practice will eliminate this risk — as well as reducing motor accidents caused by driver fatigue and decreased visibility. In 2020 a study found a six percent increase in fatal car accidents during the week after clocks are adjusted in spring.

It's also hoped that making daylight saving time permanent will increase children's health and fitness by encouraging them to spend more time outdoors, while stimulating the economy by prompting adults to stay out longer. (Of course, it could also have a negative impact on some industries such as television.)

Further, the rate of crime may decrease, with a 2015 study finding robberies dropped by seven percent in the weeks after daylight saving time comes into effect. Though it isn't clear exactly why this is the case, researchers have theorised that increased daylight, a higher probability of witnesses, or simply fatigue could be contributing factors. Assaults have also been seen to drop, with rates decreasing at the start of daylight saving time and increasing after it ends.

The Sunshine Protection Act hasn't been made law yet, so you'll still have to adjust your clock back this November. But if the U.S. establishes a permanent daylight saving time, it may be the last time you need do so.