11/6/22

By Aditi Jha

Daylight saving time has not become permanent in the United States. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time the permanent standard time, was unanimously approved by the Senate but has not been passed by the House yet. It would be implemented on November 5th, 2023, if passed, meaning people do not have to move their clocks back an hour every November 6th. Hawaii and Arizona are the only states that aren't habitually changing their clocks. Daylight saving time begins in spring and continues eight months to fall when we switch our clocks an hour back to standard time. Why do we even have daylight saving time? The purpose is to reduce crime, save energy and reduce traffic injuries. It was first implemented in 1918 to try to save energy costs during World War 1. From 1942 to 1945, daylight saving time was year-round until World War 2 ended. Finally, in 1966, the Uniform Time Act was passed, which made daylight saving time start in spring and end in fall, with standard time starting in fall and ending in spring. In the 70s, the US tried year-round daylight saving time again when former President Nixon said that daylight saving time year-round from 1974 to 1976 would help fight the ongoing energy crisis by saving oil. A study given to Congress at the end of the trial year from the Department of Transportation found that the experiment was supported for a second year, but it was better to include four months of standard time from October to February. A 1975 study noticed that the popular opinion that daylight saving time saves energy, improves or worsens traffic safety, and reduces crime wasn't actually true. It said there were "no significant energy saving or differences in traffic fatalities." It said that the changes would be 'minimal" and "difficult to distinguish from seasonal variations and fluctuations." When the trial ended in the fall of 1975, Congress discontinued the experiment and went back to starting DST in April and ending it in October. However, in 2005, the government expanded it to start in March and end in November instead. A study done by the Department of Energy on this change found that it lessened national electricity consumption by 0.5 percent. Lawmakers are trying to make it permanent and year-round now, not just because of the economic benefits but also because studies have shown that the time changes negatively affect your physical and mental health.

That's the news for today! Stay safe!