On Sunday, millions of Americans (except Arizonans, Hawaii residents, and residents of most U.S. territories) “sprang forward” one hour in order to observe daylight saving time for the next eight months, until the first Sunday in November, when everyone “falls back” again onto standard time. Daylight saving time is, however, an old, antiquated concept and it is well past time that America—and the rest of the world—rids itself of.
Daylight saving time started back in 1966 with the passage of the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, which set a specific date for the beginning and end of daylight saving time. After some modifications, since 2007, daylight saving time now officially begins at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November.
(It was first used nationally during World War I, but the federal government later removed any national requirements for daylight saving time after that. Only until the 1966 act did a nationwide standard take shape.)
The act does not require states to follow daylight saving time, but it does set a nationwide standard for when the clocks change. The only power given to states is to allow states and territories to opt-out of using daylight saving time and use standard time year-round, which is done in Arizona, Hawaii, and most U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Notably, it does not give states the option to use daylight saving time year-round.
There have been arguments over whether or not the entire country should permanently use daylight saving time or use standard time permanently. The truth is, however, regions to the western end of each time zone would probably benefit from using standard time year-round, while regions to the eastern end of each time zone would benefit from using daylight saving time year-round.
Let’s take the Eastern time zone as an example. Assuming the sun rises at 6 a.m. in the easternmost regions of Maine, the farthest east the Eastern time zone extends, on the westernmost reaches of the time zone, such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and parts of Indiana, the sun might not rise for another hour or two, even though both regions will be on the same time. Thus, by using standard time, people in the westernmost regions of each time zone will not have to go to school and work in the dark, while people on the easternmost regions of each time zone would benefit by having more daylight hours in the evening after work by using daylight saving time permanently.
The argument over whether daylight saving or standard time is better is a heated debate. Those in favor of permanent standard time argue that robbery rates are lower and will also help drive the economy. This is because when the sun sets at a later time of the day, people are more inclined to go out and shop after work, and most robberies don’t occur during sunshine hours. Businesses and restaurants, especially, have been advocates of using permanent daylight saving time.
Those in favor of standard time argue that it provides the best balance between morning and evening daylight, which is more natural to the human body and makes sleeping and waking easier. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine called for the abolition of daylight saving time, arguing that shifting time disrupted the body’s internal clock and could cause an increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular events, and more traffic accidents.
Not changing the time twice a year could result in fewer traffic accidents, reduce depression, and bring back tons of lost productivity from changing the clocks twice-yearly.
Many states have introduced bills to go onto daylight saving time year-round. This includes Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Georgia is also debating over whether to use daylight saving time or standard time permanently. But for any of these state laws to take effect, a modification to the 1966 federal time act would be required, since the law does not allow for states to use daylight saving time permanently.
(Interestingly, if Georgia actually used daylight saving time year-round, and neighboring Alabama didn’t, in winter, it would create a two-hour time difference between the two states. This situation would occur in many places if neighboring states cannot agree on which time to use, and would cause even more chaos to how we keep time.)
A group of bipartisan senators, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has introduced a piece of legislation titled the Sunshine Protection Act that would end daylight saving time nationally once and for all to use daylight saving time year-round. It, and another piece of similar legislation, the Time Act, have stalled in House committees.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said that “spring forward and falling back year after year only creates unnecessary confusion while harming Americans’ health and the economy.”
If the law passes, Sunday could be the last clock change ever.
And it isn’t just people in the U.S. who are calling for the practice of daylight saving time to end. The European Union, which observes daylight saving time and makes up the bulk of the 70 countries which observe it, is also considering ending the practice as well. (And some countries that observe it, such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia, aren’t even consistent within their borders whether or not to observe it either! It is only observed in some jurisdictions of these countries.)
It’s time to end the practice of changing our clocks once and for all. Congress should act now and pass Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act and finally remove one country from this list.