Written by Camille White
I love the fall — changing leaves, cooler temperatures and football. But one of my least favorite things about the fall is when the time changes and it gets dark early. It’s kind of depressing. In 1918, daylight saving time was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. Since then, twice a year, we change our clocks, either losing or gaining an hour of sleep. On Nov. 5, we gained an extra hour, but at what cost? When daylight saving time ends, and we go back to standard time, it gets darker an hour earlier. I will admit, the extra hour of sleep is nice, but it is very frustrating when the sun sets at 5 p.m. I feel like my day goes by so fast.
In addition to not enjoying it getting dark so early, daylight saving time actually promotes safety. From crime to car crashes, more problems occur when it is dark. According to the University of Washington Magazine, crime rates are lower by 30 percent during the day hours. According to ProCon. org, longer days decrease the number of car collisions and pedestrians who get hit. I don’t really like going anywhere once it gets dark; however, when it gets dark at 5 p.m. it is often hard to avoid that. For instance, I love bike riding or jogging, but I typically go later in the day when I have more free time. During daylight saving time, I go around 5:30 p.m. with plenty of daylight left. However, since the shift to standard time, I can’t go later than 4:30 p.m. if I don’t want to be in the dark. As a female, that is often the case. And once it gets really cold, I don’t want to leave at night even more. Cold and dark are not my favorite combination.
That leads to my next point: When days are longer there is more time to have a healthy lifestyle. Thankfully, I have a flexible schedule most days, where I have a nice break. If it is pleasant weather I will eat lunch, do homework or read outside. But for most people who work jobs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there is little time for them to spend time outside doing something active. Of course, there are always gyms or artificial lights, but it’s not the same.
If safety and exercise are not incentives enough for continued daylight saving time, maybe money will be. When there is more daylight, there is less of a need for artificial lighting. Thus, money is saved on a power bill each month.
Lastly, I don’t know about you, but there is just something about a beautiful sunny day that makes me automatically feel better. If I ever get overwhelmed with an assignment, I immediately take a break and go on a walk with a friend. I let the sun brighten my day (literally).
Congress is considering the “Sunshine Protection Act” which would extend daylight saving time to be year-round. According to The Hill, it passed through the Senate last year but did not pass through the House of Representatives. It was reintroduced in March 2023 but hasn’t gone far since then, but I am hopeful that we will see it passed soon. In the meantime, even though I am not a big fan of standard time and believe that we should remain on daylight saving time all year, I will still find the moments of sunshine to enjoy in our shorter fall and winter days.
