From March 9th to November 2nd, daylight saving time (DST) will set most of America’s clocks back an hour to reap more of summer’s sunny days; but that can cause some to wonder, is it really a practice worth continuing?
Daylight saving time originated in Germany in 1916 and was adopted by the US in 1918, only to be repealed just a year later. However, The US reinstated it in 1942 during World War II and later standardized it in the Standard Time Act of 1966.
DST came around “to help conserve fuel and power and extend the workday,” according to by the USA facts team, Making it easier for farmworkers to do their jobs and helping with conserving energy during the war.
Jackson Earl, a math teacher at Central High School, agrees that “Having the most optimal amount of sun is great,” and further stating that he felt like he had more energy during the day, proving that DST could help some in regards to health.
Although during DST, an increase in acute myocardial infarction (commonly referred to as heart attacks) have been reported after DST happens in the spring, as well as an increase in car crashes which contradicts Mr. Earl’s feelings.
Furthermore Jason Strutz, the director of technology infrastructure at Parkland College, says that DST causes confusion and is “unnecessary because the purpose of changing our clocks has long ago been rendered moot,” Or having no real meaning to it.
From an outsider perspective, the act of changing the clocks just to try and benefit people’s schedules, even though the benefits that it used to give have long since ceased, and the process of continuing it actually has recorded evidence of being harmful, it just doesn’t make sense why DST is still around.
While there are a lot of arguments as to why DST should still be kept in place a lot of the results have changed since so many years have passed and the changes to the clock don’t actually result in any changes in fuel consumption or energy use; therefore, it is possible to argue that DST should be discontinued.
