Daylight-Saving Time – Fall Backward 2023
Despite continued efforts by the U.S. Senate since 2018 to establish permanent daylight-saving time nationwide, for now, we have to continue to change our clocks twice a year.
Starting this Sunday, November 5, 2023, we will set our clocks an hour back, allowing us an extra hour of sleep this weekend, and to enjoy sunrise and sunset an hour earlier. However, while we win an extra hour this coming weekend, and we will get to enjoy earlier sun rises, when March 10, 2024, comes, we will have to set our clocks forward by one hour – spring forward, and will lose an hour of sleep.
When the concept of Daylight-Saving Time was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, he believed that the people could save money due to a reduction in the use of candles. However, as society evolved, the cost of lighting has decreased, and the use of daylight resulted in an increase of heating and air conditioning costs. Therefore, the thought of saving money by changing our clocks twice is year, is no longer valid.
Studies have found that Daylight-Saving Time is associated with increased emotional instability, hospitalizations, and elevated stress. Daylight-Saving Time is also linked to an increase in motor vehicle accidents after we set our clocks one hour forward in the spring each year, and a 2020 study found that the risk of fatal traffic accidents increases by 6%.
We can just hope, that eventually, the Senate’s bill that proposes a federal law to make daylight-saving time permanent – the Sunshine Protection Act – will pass.
If you or someone you know receive a traffic ticket or any other criminal charge in Wrightsville Beach or in Wilmington, or generally in New Hanover, Pender, or Brunswick Counties, or if you or someone you know get seriously injured in an accident at which they were not at fault, call Collins Law Firm at 910-793-9000 for a confidential consultation about what we can do to help you.
By Jana H. Collins