The Push for Permanent "Daylight Saving" Time

[Rob Hall]

  On 3/17/2022 at 1:45 PM, Casey said:

That was one of the reasons given for the change, and specifically, the increase in traffic accidents immediately after the spring change happened. 

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Yesterday afternoon and evening I drove 90 miles from home down I-77 through Akron and Canton, Ohio to my farm and back, and saw the aftermath of not one, but 4 chain-reaction style crashes..in the last month of making that drive (albeit usually on Saturdays and Sundays), I had seen no accidents..

Edited March 17, 2022 by Rob Hall

[Mark]

Pick one, and leave it.  Kids eventually have to learn that it gets dark outside...

[espo]

Whatever the original reasons for Daylight Savings and Standard time were think no longer exist. Maybe just split the difference between them and call it good.  

[Jim N]

I saw on the news the other night that a poll was done about this.  The people who wanted permanent DST or standard time split evenly.  8% liked the changing of the clocks.  The enticement of DST is the extra hour in the evenings.  It is a lot easier to get yard work done and such when not fighting the clock.  Kids can play outside longer.  There are benefits.

Keeping DST permanent was tried in the mid 1970's as a way to save energy.  It was argued that with the extra hour of daylight, homes would consume a little less energy, and in the aggregate, it would help a lot.  One of the problems was that there was a record number of kids hit by cars walking to school in the mornings because of the darkness.  After one year - maybe two we went back to changing the clocks twice a year.  A lot changes in nearly 50 years.  In my area, I don't think many kids walk to school.  I will not comment on other cities or towns.

The U.S. is a country that splits 50 - 50 on almost every issue.  To have 92% of the population say they do not like changing the time twice a year, the politicians will get this done.  Most who favor the other time will adjust.  And then there will be boards like this for people to vent about how they were in favor of the time standard.

[paul alflen]

Robb Hall, remember it was a full moon and St. Patrick's Day. Drinking, Driving, Distraction , Warm Weather,  and SPEED, lead to crashes!

[Bugatti Fan]

Daylight saving was introduced way back when for farmers I believe to take advantage of longer summer days. Right?

Last summer I was driving at midnight and was blinded by the battery of LED spot lamps on the front of a combine harvester working in an adjacent field.        Thought it was a landing UFO!

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 3/17/2022 at 9:11 PM, Jim N said:

...And then there will be boards like this for people to vent about how they were in favor of the time standard.

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Kinda interesting to see that sleep "experts" are weighing in mostly in favor of permanent Standard Time, as it's in closer alignment with the natural human circadian cycle...which is why it got to be "standard" in the first place (you know, when people invented "time"?).   

[SfanGoch]

  On 3/20/2022 at 7:50 PM, Bugatti Fan said:

Daylight saving was introduced way back when for farmers I believe to take advantage of longer summer days. Right?

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Wrong. That is a myth.

Myth Vs. Fact: Daylight Saving Time and Farming

[vintagerpm]

Been tried on and off around the world since 1908.
From Wikipedia:

"Industrialized societies usually follow a clock-based schedule for daily activities that do not change throughout the course of the year. The time of day that individuals begin and end work or school, and the coordination of mass transit, for example, usually remain constant year-round. In contrast, an agrarian society's daily routines for work and personal conduct are more likely governed by the length of daylight hours and by solar time, which change seasonally because of the Earth's axial tilt. North and south of the tropics, daylight lasts longer in summer and shorter in winter, with the effect becoming greater the further one moves away from the equator.

"By synchronously resetting all clocks in a region to one hour ahead of standard time, individuals who follow a clock-based schedule will wake an hour earlier than they would have otherwise; they will begin and complete daily work routines an hour earlier, and they will have available to them an extra hour of daylight after their workday activities. But, they will have one less hour of daylight at the start of each day, making the policy less practical during winter."

[BlackSheep214]

Our local politicians in New York are pushing to do this as well. I prefer permanent Spring Ahead time for longer daylight hours during spring and summer than going back to standard time in the fall. Who needs nighttime darkness by 5 pm in the fall and winter til spring when we "spring ahead" come March? Screw that! Make it Permanent Spring Ahead than Standard time. At least during the fall and winter daylight will end by 6 pm instead of 5 pm.

[BlackSheep214]

  On 3/17/2022 at 9:11 PM, Jim N said:

I saw on the news the other night that a poll was done about this.  The people who wanted permanent DST or standard time split evenly.  8% liked the changing of the clocks.  The enticement of DST is the extra hour in the evenings.  It is a lot easier to get yard work done and such when not fighting the clock.  Kids can play outside longer.  There are benefits.

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BINGO! If we made DST permanent, no yardwork would get done til the weekend when most folks are working during the day.

  On 3/17/2022 at 9:11 PM, Jim N said:

Keeping DST permanent was tried in the mid 1970's as a way to save energy.  It was argued that with the extra hour of daylight, homes would consume a little less energy, and in the aggregate, it would help a lot.  One of the problems was that there was a record number of kids hit by cars walking to school in the mornings because of the darkness.  After one year - maybe two we went back to changing the clocks twice a year.  A lot changes in nearly 50 years.  In my area, I don't think many kids walk to school.  I will not comment on other cities or towns.

You'd be surprised that kids still walk to school IF they're in close proximity in their neighborhood. My son's middle school is next door to our house. Why take the bus when he can walk?

The U.S. is a country that splits 50 - 50 on almost every issue.  To have 92% of the population say they do not like changing the time twice a year, the politicians will get this done.  Most who favor the other time will adjust.  And then there will be boards like this for people to vent about how they were in favor of the time standard.

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All these "sleep experts" has always said it effects health due to our inner biological clocks. They say it messes up our bodies in some form or another, Bollocks! It never bothered me none. I always looked forward to longer daylight hours when we spring ahead. It's better than being depressed when darkness comes early. Besides, longer night time hours are depressing during these long, cold winters.

[BlackSheep214]

  On 3/17/2022 at 1:41 AM, peteski said:

Personally I would like to have more daylight hours at the end of the day.  Especially in the Winter. I hate when it gets dark outside around 3pm.  But I'm sure nothing will come of this.

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I hate winter and the long, cold winter nights.

[BlackSheep214]

Here's the thing... too many politicians worrying about DST instead of tackling the real issues. Like Bail reform... Oh what a big mistake of joke that is. 

[Mike C.]

I heard one on the radio today that they also changed it because it helped with the cows milking cycles.

[OldTrucker]

  On 3/20/2022 at 10:43 PM, Mike C. said:

I heard one on the radio today that they also changed it because it helped with the cows milking cycles.

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Their cycle is based off the time the dairy farmer decides is milking time! What ever they set becomes the time and the cows head in on their own when it is time!

Worked for several different farmers as a kid and all milked at different times.

One I worked for milked his cows at 5am. The next year I was working for a farmer that milked his at 8am. I asked why he milked so late when the one last year milked so early.

His answer was simple. "Why get up at 4 am to milk when I'm the last pickup by the dairy trucks route?"

[Mike C.]

 I grew up next to a farm but I really never learned much about how the whole place worked. I did learn not to stand too close to the back of the row of cows when they were being milked (all autamated) they could piss pretty far and it was like a garden hose on full blast. You had to keep on your toes or you would get a nasty Bath. ?

[TarheelRick]

Was just getting used to actually seeing the kids at the bus stop, then the time changed and they are all in the dark now. So I have to really look close to see if they are there, amazing how popular black clothing is with today's youth.  If I had my druthers I would druther have standard time.

[Aaronw]

Hate changing the clocks and agree standard time would be the preferred. I suspect the senate bill picked daylight savings because that is what several states have proposed doing. The reason the states pick daylight savings over standard is because the current law only allows that. States had the option of not doing it, but once they adopted Daylight savings, their only option out is permanent daylight savings, staying on standard is not an option. That would not apply to congress since they wrote the original law. 

In typical lazy politician mode I'm guessing Rubio (who is behind the bill) just copied and pasted the Florida proposal word for word.

 

I've never understood the concept, if your job requires daylight then do what most people do regardless of DST and adjust your schedule.

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by Aaronw

[webestang]

It's been working fine all these years so yeah, make it permanent.

Here is a simple pro/con article I found interesting.

https://www.procon.org/headlines/top-3-pros-and-cons-of-daylight-saving-time/