Opinion: The War on Time: Why Standardized DST is the Right Move

The War on Time: Why Standardized DST is the Right Move

BY: JOE POVEROMO

As of March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill making Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent, a surprising move, but a smart one. This bill, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, must be passed by the house to take effect, but if passed, it will standardize time around the country by eliminating the “spring forward” and “fall back” ritual. The possible positives include a lower frequency of car accidents, increased economic activity, and decreased criminal activity. The issues, however, are potential health issues connected to a desynchronized circadian rhythm. So, the question remains, what is the right decision?

Although the cons of this concept seem one-sided, the pros are also important to understand. The United States would eliminate the need to spring forward and fall backward by standardizing DST, saving lives directly and increasing economic prosperity across the board.

The Sunshine Protection Act’s cons are by no means irrelevant but are certainly outnumbered by its pros. Let us begin with the possible negative externalities, namely the biggest problem: health issues. Sleep scientists have determined that standard time is preferable to DST, because the consequences of waking up under DST have been felt before. Nicholas Gordon explains the stance of scientists: experts are worried about DST leaving people, “permanent[ly] out of sync with our natural environment”, and “forcing people to wake up earlier and fall asleep later than their natural body clocks dictate” (Gordon, 2022). To further support this claim, a study was cited in which scientists concluded that people who work night shifts (and are forced to work out of sync) have higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and cancer (Gordon, 2022). Although the cons of this concept seem one-sided, the pros are also important to understand. The United States would eliminate the need to spring forward and fall backward by standardizing DST, saving lives directly and increasing economic prosperity across the board. According to a 2001 study, the switch from standard time to DST results in an increased frequency of car accidents and fatalities (Varughese, 2001). This increase in traffic accidents has been cited by officials on Capitol Hill as an important reason to implement the change and save lives. Also, the increased exposure to light, although cited as a problem by some, can be seen as a good thing. First, exposure to more sunlight has a direct effect on the economic activity of a community and allows for more interaction and trade later in the day (Hamermesh, 2008). Also, by increasing the amount of light available in the evening, energy consumption is lowered. Although not as much as years prior, there is still a clear difference between energy consumption in standard time and DST. On top of these pros, sunlight later into the day provides a decrease in criminal activity of up to 7 percent for the entire day and a 27 percent drop during the evening hour that gained extra sunlight (Sanders, 2015). According to Sanders, all these avoided robberies resulted in about 59 million dollars in annual savings, providing an incredibly enticing argument for the transition to permanent DST. Although the switch to DST has both pros and cons, the potential returns from a switch to DST offer a safer and richer America while simultaneously allowing people to enjoy the sunlight a little longer into the day. The cons of these decisions should not be ignored of course and should be corrected as much as possible. One recommendation I would offer is to increase the recommended cancer screenings and cardiovascular checkups for those who work outside of their circadian sync. This way, the potential issues can be dealt with now, ensuring workers do not suffer from the increase in sunlight and that the policy decision has a more altruistic effect, rather than sacrificing the few for the safety and ease of the many.

Joseph Poveromo ’22

Major: Economics with a Philosophy and History Minor Hometown: Naugatuck, CT

REFERENCES

Varughese, J., & Allen, R. P. (2001). Fatal accidents following changes in daylight savings time: the American experience. Sleep Medicine, 2(1), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1389-9457(00)00032-0 Gordon, N. (2022, March 16). Spring forward or fall back? The U.S. Senate might have made the wrong choice. Fortune. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from https://fortune.com/2022/03/16/daylight-saving-time-sleep-senateprotecting-sunshine-act/ Hamermesh, D. S., Myers, C. K., & Pocock, M. L. (2008). Cues for timing and coordination: Latitude, Letterman, and longitude. Journal of Labor

Economics, 26(2), 223–246. https://doi.org/10.1086/525027 Doleac, J. L., Sanders, N. J. (2015); Under the cover of darkness: How ambient light influences criminal activity.The Review of Economics and

Statistics 2015, 97 (5). 1093–1103. https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00547

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