Daylight Savings: A Permanent Change?

Are we getting rid of Daylight Savings Time?

Lainey Banks, Staff Reporter|December 12, 2022

Daylight Savings: A Permanent Change?

What is Daylight Savings?

On the day known as “Daylight Savings Time” (DST), clocks are set forward one hour in the Spring. In the Fall, time “falls back” an hour. For many people, this takes time to get used to. Daylight Savings Time can play a big role in students lack of sleep, or just make things more difficult for those who already don’t get enough rest.

 

DST Chart

What is the Purpose of DST?

  • To save more light for the evening
  • To conserve electricity
  • A large percentage of electricity is in use in the evening
  • Over $7 million is saved in electricity
  • Makes the days seem “longer” because it is still light outside in the evening
  • Decreases traffic accidents

 

The Negatives of Daylight Savings

  • People spend more on air conditioning per year (up to $8.6 million)
  • Car accidents are at their highest after 6:00pm, the “fall back”
  • Disrupts many people’s natural sleep cycles
  • Many countries are not effected by Daylight Savings Time

 

However, that is all aiming to be changed.

 

“In March 2022, the Senate advanced a bill to make daylight savings time permanent” (Cillizza 1). DST will be an indefinite change, meaning that we would no longer “fall back” an hour.

 

Why is it Changing?

“

Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth and the disruption that comes with it. And one has to ask themselves after a while: why do we keep doing it?

— Senator Marco Rubio

 

According to a Monmouth University poll, 61% of Americans would like to get rid of DST entirely.

 

 

What Does This Mean?

Eliminating DST time change means we would no longer “fall back” an hour in November. So, people will be used to the time year-round. There are hopes of consistently reducing electricity use, while aiming to prevent an excessive lack of sleep.

While the bill has been advanced, there is no way to know for sure whether the US will follow through with this. The public has shown that they believe this would be a good change– and that Daylight Savings Time should be done away with.

 

 

Do you think DST should be put to an end?

Sources

Cillizza, Chris. “In March, the Senate Passed a Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent. What Happened?” ABC7 San Francisco, 4 Nov. 2022, https://abc7news.com/daylight-saving-time-2022-change-savings-senate-bill-fall-back/12417386/

“History & Info – Daylight Savings Time.” History & Info – Daylight Saving Time Idea from Benjamin Franklin, 2020, https://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html