Why, in 2017, is Daylight Saving Time Still a Thing?

It’s been 10 years since DST was moved from April to the second Sunday in March (thanks to the Energy Policy Act), and I’m still not used to it. No one there wants an extra hour of 100-plus-degree temperatures during the summer. If the US observed the one-time-zone policy – the Eastern time of the nation’s capital, of course, – the summer sun would set as late as 10:42 p.m. and weather-related crankiness would hit an all-time high.

With more daylight during the late afternoon and early evening commutes comes darker mornings.

This practice of advancing the clock one hour in spring and back again in fall was instituted in the US during WWI to conserve energy for war resources. The aggregate number is big enough to power about 122,000 average US homes for a year.

Daylight saving time isn’t just an American thing.

Walia said the time change is more of a problem for those who are chronically sleep-deprived.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing in Legislature on Tuesday, March 14. Given that the General Assembly remains stalled on budget talks, perhaps the members could spend some daylight hours reconsidering the idea. What started in Germany as a World War I effort to save energy has a lot of people wondering what’s the point is in this era.

Daylight Saving Time officially begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Arizona and Hawaii don’t observe DST.

Beyond just cutting sleep and making you groggy at work for a few days, daylight saving is a great opportunity to check smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, auto batteries or schedule a bi-annual tooth cleaning. This is also the flawless time to replace their batteries, allowing them to keep time accurately all year long.

It typically takes me about 2 weeks to get my own internal clock-circadian rhythm adjusted to the change.

Now this debate goes on every year in California, with lawmakers trying to get the Golden State to join the anti-time-changers. Prior to the new laws, only certain areas of the state observed the time changes. While you’re changing those clocks, keep this in mind: Daylight Saving Time actually leads to more automobile crashes, slumping sales in stores, and reduced productivity for everyone.

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