Daylight Saving Time, Do You Like It?

Like it or not Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend. Daylight Saving Time arrives at 2 a.m. Sunday, so people should set their clocks forward one hour. While you will get one less hour of sleep, the days will instantly seem much longer. It also seems as though the majority of the population enjoys Daylight Savings Time. Do you?

All of the United States observes Daylight Savings Time on this, the second Sunday in March, except for Hawaii, Arizona, and the Navajo Nation.

Adding daylight to evenings benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but can cause problems for evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. But since 1918 the U.S. has used Daylight Savings Time, and it does seem to have benefits. Here are some interesting facts...

Studies have found that Daylight Saving Time reduces net traffic accidents and fatalities by close to 1%. Walkers are three times more likely to be hit and killed by cars right after the switch than in the month before DST ends.
According to a poll by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans like Daylight Saving Time because “there is more light in the evenings and people can do more in the evenings.”
According to a study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, crime was consistently less during periods of Daylight Saving Time than during comparable standard time periods. Violent crimes were down 10% to 13%. Darkness is a factor in many crimes such as muggings; there are many more incidents after dusk than before dawn.
Until 2006, Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. ended a few days before Halloween. Children’s pedestrian deaths are four times higher on Halloween than on any other night of the year. A new law to extend DST to the first Sunday in November took effect in 2007, with the purpose of providing trick-or-treaters more light and therefore more safety from traffic accidents.
Benjamin Franklin first thought of shifting daylight in the United States.
International Daylight Saving Calendar: www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2012.html

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