You have probably seen reminders to set your clock back on November 4th. If you haven’t, remember to set your clock back an hour on November 4th! Oh, and you might as well make a note to yourself so you don’t forget to move your clock ahead by an hour on March 11th! If you don’t, you might be late for school twice this school year. Why do you need all these reminders? Daylight Saving Time.
Daylight Saving Time happens when we set our clocks forward by one hour in the spring, and then back one hour in the fall. It gives us an extra hour of daylight to enjoy during the warm summer months. But some people wonder if it is worth the confusion. In recent years, twelve states have considered no longer using Daylight Saving Time. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time.
The original idea for Daylight Saving Time was that more hours of daylight would mean less need for lights and electricity. This would save energy. However, in modern times many people have air conditioning. Because people use air conditioning more during the daylight hours, not very much energy is saved anymore.
Many believed farmers, who can only work during daylight, would like Daylight Saving Time. They are actually against it. It is hard for them to change their animals’ schedules. People have trouble changing schedules too. Researchers have found that health problems are more likely when people change their sleep schedules.
Daylight Saving Time does have several advantages though. It strengthens the economy because more people are likely to go out and spend money at stores or restaurants when there are longer daylight hours. Driving cars is also safer in daylight. There are fewer car crashes and less risk of pedestrians being hit by cars. Crime such as robberies also drops when there are later daylight hours. Maybe most importantly of all, many people just enjoy the longer days!
What Do You Think? Do you think the positives of Daylight Saving Time outweigh the negatives?
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