For 34 weeks out of the year, the U.S. — except Arizona and Hawaii — sets their clocks ahead one hour to make more use of daylight in an occasion known as Daylight Savings Time (DST). It was introduced in the U.S. in 1918 to save energy during World War I. However, the amount of energy saved today due to daylight savings is slim, and 75% of Americans would prefer not to switch their clocks twice a year.
Some Americans prefer permanent DST over standard time (ST) because the increased daylight in the evening promotes recreational activities conducive to active lifestyles or consumer spending. The longer daylight hours also make for safer evening commutes and fewer robberies during evening hours.
Other Americans want permanent ST over DST because it better aligns with humans’ natural circadian rhythm and because citizens in northern states would not experience sunrise until after 9:30 a.m. Another point made is that President Richard Nixon signed a bill implementing DST for two years during an energy crisis, but it was repealed after eight months due to nationwide disapproval.
Additionally, studies about DST and mortality show conflicting results — one finding no evidence for DST affecting mortality in the U.S. and another finding decreases in all-cause mortality when switching back to ST.
It does not matter if DST or ST is made permanent; the U.S. should just pick a time system and stick to it.
Under the Uniform Time Act, states cannot permanently remain on DST, but they can opt out of it and remain on ST all year long — as seen in Arizona and Hawaii. The Department of Transportation, which oversees uniform observance of DST, cannot force states to pick one or the other, so a federal law would have to be passed for DST or ST to be implemented all year long. Alternatively, the remaining 48 states could all decide to switch to one or the other, but what are the chances of that happening?
There are 29 states that have introduced bills related to daylight savings; however, some of them have been conditional, meaning the state would only permanently implement DST if certain surrounding states did the same. The latest attempts to implement DST year-round on the national level were by Sen. Marco Rubio in 2018 and Rep. Vern Buchanan in 2019. Both attempts failed.
While it would be easier for all the states to opt out of DST, more actions have to be taken to adopt it permanently. Arguments can be made all day and night favoring one time system over the other, but the switch back and forth between the two is just a nuisance. The U.S. needs to stop flip-flopping between DST and ST and stay consistent all year long.
