Many people will tell you they are tired of changing clocks twice a year for the start and end of Daylight Saving Time. But, the real issue seems to come up when the discussion is whether we should go with DST or Standard Time all year.
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Senator Rick Scott of Florida, has re-introduced legislation to make Daylight Saving Time year-round. The proposal is opposed by a coalition of sleep medicine organizations, which advocate that standard time all year would be healthier.
On initial reaction, many will say to go with Daylight Saving Time year-round. That’s because the belief is it provided “more daylight.” The truth is, it simply shifts an hour of daylight from morning to evening. And, that would lead to the sun not coming up until well after 8 am in many parts of the country in the winter months.
Full time DST has been tried before. In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed a bill into law that made Daylight Saving Time permanent for a two year period. The law was intended to reduce energy consumption during the 1973 oil crisis. However, the experiment was ended early due to public opposition and concerns about safety. After the very first winter of DST being in place, public support fell from 79% to 42%. School groups expressed concern over darkness during the morning school commute. The change may have actually caused an uptick in gasoline consumption and the change also led to more car crashes during rush hours. President Ford ended the permanent DST in 1974—ending early due to public opposition and the concerns about safety.
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