Time To Spring Forward: Daylight Savings Time Ritual Now 60 Years Old

It’s once again time to “spring forward” by setting clocks up one hour.

Daylight savings time begins Sunday, March 9, at 2 a.m.

As the term implies, there will be a noticeable one hour more of daylight each evening; however, the reverse will happen as most of us rise and begin our routines each day.

For those who like to sleep in on Sunday morning, the change will hardly be noticed until the work week begins.

However, church goers are advised to re-set their clocks the night before to avoid being an hour late.

Daylight savings time has had its ups and downs.

It was initiated in 1918 during Word War I as a method of conserving fuel and power and by extending the work day.

Simultaneously, the standard time act of 1918 also established US time zones.

DST, which repealed by Congress after WWI ended, resumed again in 1942 during WWII and was repealed again in 1945.

The Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966, which established the current practise of a twice-yearly time change.

This year marks 60 years for the ritual, which 45 states have considered ending, and is still debated in state legislatures and Congress.

It was “tweaked” in 2005 by the Energy Policy Act, which extended daylight saving a few weeks, beginning the second Sunday of March, and ending on the first Sunday in November.

Currently 48 states, as well as Washington, DC, participate in DST. The two exceptions are Arizona and Hawaii, which have opted permanently to stay on standard time.

Twenty states have passed laws or resolutions to observe daylight savings time permanently, but this would only take effect if Congress were to change federal daylight saving time law.

Spring daylight savings time change is regarded as a good time to remember to change the batteries in residential smoke detectors.

It is also an excellent time to take the time to pay ones’ annual fire dues.