For What It's Worth
There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about moving the country to permanent daylight saving time. The U.S. House of Representatives passed what was titled the Sunshine Protection Act on a 308-117 vote earlier this month. The measure was sent to the U.S. Senate but the Senate has yet to pass the bill, and it’s facing significant hurdles.
If enacted, sunrise would be one hour later and sunset would also be one hour later than it currently is during the winter months. In this area, the latest sunrise of the year, in early January, would happen at 8:09 a.m. if this bill is passed, and the skies would remain dark during most of December and January at 7 a.m.
Push the sunrise times one hour ahead and the sunset times also are pushed ahead by an hour. A little more light on the trip home from work in January, but headlights would be mandatory for driving into work at 7 a.m. during the same part of the year.
No more, “spring ahead, fall back” reminders because we won’t be changing our clocks twice a year.
Supporters are touting all of the advantages. More evening leisure time, crime reduction, and public safety are some to name a few. There’s also predicted to be a boost in retail spending as people do more shopping after work.
There’s also something I had not heard of before called Circadian Shock. That’s when acute sleep deprivation is linked to spikes in heart attacks and traffic accidents every March when we “spring forward.” At the same time, medical health organizations, like the American Medical Association, have said benefits of permanent daylight savings time have no support in science.
There have even been studies that said we could see fewer cases of obesity and strokes if we stopped moving the clocks forward and back as a steady clock provides a stable baseline for internal body clocks, supporters say.
At the same time, detractors of daylight savings time say there are public health risks for it. Medical organizations, sleep scientists, and safety advocates actually want to promote permanent standard time.
The dark commute times could result in more traffic accidents, they say, adding children going to school would be walking in more darkness to school during the winter.
Others who oppose permanent DST have included construction workers, farmers, and factory workers who’d encounter more darkness on the job.
Then there was the experiment of 1974. We were in the middle of a fuel crisis and the law was meant to save energy. But the public outcry about having to deal with pitch-black winter mornings was so loud it was quickly repealed.
President Richard Nixon signed the emergency daylight savings time act in mid-December of 1973 with 79 percent support in the country. The clocks were moved forward on Jan. 6, 1974. There was supposed to be a two-year trial period, but by February the support had dropped to 42 percent. Eight Florida schoolchildren had died in traffic accidents in the dark weeks following the act’s enactment and Americans got upset.
The promised energy savings also did not happen.
President Gerald Ford signed the repeal in October 1974 and by Oct. 27, America was back to standard time.
So what would be better? Permanent daylight savings time? Permanent standard time? Or just keeping it as it is.
President Donald Trump has said he supports permanent daylight savings time and would sign the bill if the Senate passes it. Mississippi has what is called an “active trigger law,” that is five years old and would bring us in compliance with permanent day-light savings time, if Congress passes and the President signs it. The Magnolia State is one of 19 states that have active trigger laws to move into federal compliance with 12 months of daylight savings time.
I don’t typically like sunsets and darkness around 5 p.m. In the winter. But driving in darkness to work without sunshine is not that appealing, either.
So what of three “doors” is best for you to open? Daylight savings, standard time, or keep it the same? Senators in Washington are struggling to find the right solution...and the clock is ticking...
That’s what I have for now...for what it’s worth.
Bob Bakken is Editor of the South Reporter.