COLLEGE STATION –This Sunday most Americans will lose an hour of sleep by springing forward with daylight-saving time. Each year, the time change begins at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April.
Congress began the daylight-saving time practice in 1918 to conserve resources for World War I. It was observed for seven months, but due to its unpopularity, the law was later repealed. Congress reinstated the law in 1942 for World War II, and the country observed daylight-saving time until 1945.
“People saw the time change as associated with war efforts, so when the war was over, they wanted to return to the normal schedule,” Dr. Lynn White, Texas Agricultural Extension Service family economics specialist, said. “They really didn’t see a need for more daylight hours when there was no war to support.”
Even though no federal law mandated a time change after 1945, so many Americans observed daylight-saving time by 1966 that Congress enacted the Uniform Time Act.
White said the time change became a necessary tool to save energy during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo.
“Today’s daylight-saving time is really a result of the 1970s oil crunch when it was estimated that we could save lots of energy if we used more of the daylight time to do things and cut down on utility use,” White said.
After the oil crunch, the time change was discontinued due to opposition from farmers who prefer more morning daylight hours. The last time the law was changed was in 1986 when former President Ronald Reagan moved the change from the last Sunday to the first Sunday in April.
Adding the entire month is estimated to save the United States an additional 300,000 barrels of oil each year.
Now, White said, daylight-saving time has become a convenience for many Americans.
“The consumer really shifted to liking more time after work for recreation,” she said. “And people also like being able to sleep in later without the sun shining in their faces!”
White said Americans still experience the energy savings, but it is not what is generally focused on.
“Studies also show that our electrical usage is cut by one percent for each day of daylight- saving time, but people observe the change mostly for the convenience of added daylight.”
The time change may also save lives. A study done in the 1970s indicates roadways are safer when people can drive home from work in the daylight hours. An estimated 50 lives were saved and 2,000 injuries prevented in March and April of the study years.
White said though most Americans remember to change their clocks, they share one common misconception about the time change.
“You cannot save time so it is not literally daylight-saving time,” she said. “It’s not like a savings account that you can bank up and use over — time is gone when it’s gone.”
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CFAM
