Get ready to “fall back” one hour this Sunday, Nov. 5, as daylight saving time ends.
We “fell forward” the second Sunday of March for what is called Daylight Saving Time. On the first Sunday of November, at 2 a.m., clocks fall back an hour to standard time.
Daylight Saving Time was put into practice in Europe and the United States to save fuel and power during World War I, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The U.S. kept Daylight Saving Time permanent during most of World War II to conserve fuel and keep things standard. It became known as “war time.”
During the energy crisis of the 1970s, we tried permanent Daylight Saving Time in the winter of 1973-1974. The idea again was to conserve fuel. It was a popular move at the time when President Richard Nixon signed the law in January 1974. But by the end of the month, Florida’s governor had called for the law’s repeal after eight schoolchildren were hit by cars in the dark. In early October Congress voted to switch back to standard time.
States are not required by law to “fall back” or “spring forward.” Hawaii, most of Arizona and some territories in the Pacific and Caribbean do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
In March 2022, the U.S. Senate voted to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The bill passed by unanimous consent. It has not yet passed in the House.
The bipartisan Senate bill would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. So, maybe someday, but not is 2023.
Studies over the last 25 years have shown the one-hour change disrupts body rhythms tuned to Earth’s rotation. There are also studies, for example, that show we have more car accidents when people lose an extra hour of sleep. There are also studies that show robberies decline when there is an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. We also know that people suffer more heart attacks at the start of Daylight Saving Time. But what about our mental health? People seem to be happier when there is an extra hour of daylight.
Of course, there’s the economy, which pays for all that outdoor fun in the sun. Although saving energy was often put out as a reason to have Daylight Saving Time, the energy saved isn’t much – if anything at all.
Regardless, we are about to say goodbye, DST, and goodbye one hour — at 2 a.m. on Sunday.