I’ve discovered that the process of blogging has helped me experience evolving positions on many issues. But it has actually hardened my point of view on one topic: Daylight Saving Time, which, I believe, is demented, and more importantly, destructive.
From CNN:
*Whatever energy savings may have been gleaned when we had a more agrarian society is no longer applicable. “A 2008 U.S. Department of Energy study reported Daylight Saving Time reduces annual energy use by about 0.03%. And a study that same year from the University of California-Santa Barbara found it might even increase energy consumption.
“After Indiana adopted Daylight Saving Time statewide in 2006, researchers examined power usage statistics and found that electricity consumption there rose 1% overall, with a 2% to 4% increase in the fall months.”
The invention of air conditioning has shifted people’s activities indoors, especially those in states like Arizona, which has the good sense to have opted out of daylight saving time in 1968. “However, the Navajo Nation in the northeast quarter of the state does observe daylight saving time. The Hopi Nation, fully surrounded by the Navajo reservation, does not.”
It’s terrible for one’s health
“Researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham reported in 2012 that the spring adjustment led to a 10% increase in heart attack risk… The clock changes can also raise the risk of accidents by sleep-deprived motorists. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 1996 reporting an 8% increase in traffic accidents on the Monday following the spring shift.”
*Farmers, who, it was said, were supposed to benefit from it, actually HATE it. They have to get up when the sun rises, regardless of the artifice of the clock.
Any of you who have cats know that THEY don’t know you want to get an extra hour of sleep. Meh!
Changing those clocks twice a year is a pain in the…neck
“A 2014 Rasmussen poll found that a declining percentage of adults in the United States — 33% — think Daylight Saving Time is ‘worth the hassle.’ More than 63,000 people have signed a petition sponsored by the DST-hating website www.standardtime.com.”
This would be an acceptable solution: we could have a “year-round DST approach” with the costs and dangers of the constant back and forth being eliminated. But this will a difficult process in the US, since the decision is left up to the individual states.
I wish other countries would give up the practice too. As the Amerinz guy noted: “We don’t change our clocks the same time as other places do…; it’s chaos.” International trade is affected. Try scheduling a conference call among people in London, New York, and Sydney, all of which change their clocks on different weekends, and in the case of Sydney, in the opposite direction from the first two.
But PLEASE stop the messing with our circadian rhythms via DST. It’s an antiquated practice that only aggravates people. Especially me. Daylight Saving Time – How Is This Still A Thing?
Universal time zone
I’m not sold (yet) on one universal time zone. “By letting every person stay at least somewhat in tune with the Sun, time zones also let us stay at least somewhat in tune with each other—at least in terms of how we talk about time.
If we switched to one world time zone and you saw the Sun peak at 6 o’clock, would ‘high noon’ (the phrase or the movie title) still make sense as an ominous time to have a shoot-out? Would ‘9 to 5’ (again, phrase or movie title) be recognized as the standard hours for the daily grind of an office drone? “
I maintain DST is mostly supported by people who have sufficient leisure time to go out and golf (or whatever) after their day’s work. For folks like me, it means that for a while before it ends and for a while after it starts, I am driving to work in absolute dark, which I resent greatly. And I feel discombobulated for a couple days after the change (moreso in spring than in fall). I would be in favor of year-round Standard Time, or even splitting the difference. (Year round DST would mean it would be dark until nearly 9 am for part of the winter here, and, no.)
I agree with you entirely. We have various spurious arguments to justify daylight savings clock changes which make little sense to me. Agriculture in Scotland is one of them, but I don’t see why we should inconvenience the great majority for the benefit of a small minority. The other is to keep children safe on the roads when they come home from school – presumambly the authorities prefer them to be in danger in the morning instead!
I’ve read of a proposal to reduce the four time zones in the Lower 48 to two, which sounds weird until you consider that China, four or five time zones wide, actually only observes one (UTC +8).
Indeed, i do know lots of people who struggle with it every 6 months… i am thankful that i am not one of them…
Although i know why its neccessary … i do not like it for those who have difficulties with it.
I hate this adjusting of clocks twice a year.. sigh! I have a cat – – –
Enjoy the “normally” time, so long it is given.
Greetings from Germany
Everything has positive and negative.
I think most people these days would agree with you. I find it difficult to adjust to the change in time as it takes me so long to get to sleep at night. Great post and I wish governments would take this on and go to a universal standard time. I mean…here in Canada we have 4 or is it 5 time zones? Ridiculous!
Leslie
abcw team
Makes you think whether it is still needed after all.
Great post ~ always most informative and I would agree ~ ‘let’s do away with DST’ ~ not interested in a universal time zone ~ some things should be left as is ~
Happy week to you ~ ^_^
I do hate changing all the clocks in the house!
Love when it is light later and deplore how dark it is in the mornings.
Let’s just keep it one way all year and our bodies will be happy.
It throws us for a loop every year!!
I’m with you on this, Roger!
I hate DST too. It’s as useless as tits on a bull.
Yes stick to one time, I like light evenings.
Totally agree about DST Roger…not in favour of Universal Time though…it rather ignores reality.
Well I am not for it either.
Happy ABCW!
We are saved from it in our country… All the additions and subtraction makes me tense…
DST makes me nervous that one day I will be one hour late for something. It happened once when I was in college.
Woow, this is so very informative and intruding. After reading this post I started searching the internet for more information and it really is a worrying issue.
Thanks for sharing
It seems that the whole world is against daylight savings nevertheless it’s done every year ! Here it is end March ! Each year people complain, but nothing changes !
Solid support for stopping daylight savings. Wonderful post.
first time I experienced Daylight saving, I went to church I was alone, My funniest joke.
I’m all for stopping DST. Can’t see the point of it. Good post