Thoughts on Daylight Saving Time...

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/30/daylight-saving-time-ap-poll/86981672007/

New York — Yes, you’ll get a shot at an extra hour’s sleep. But even with that, it might be one of the most dreaded weekends on the American calendar: the end of daylight saving time.

Only 12% of U.S. adults favor the current system of daylight saving time, which has people in most states changing the clocks twice a year, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while 47% are opposed and 40% are neutral...

 

[mickey2942]

This is not so bad. Except it gets so dark, so early here.

 

[tlcya]

Every year older I get, the harder this time change is for me to adjust to.

 

[steeltowngirl]

The changing time on the clocks is the most annoying part for me. I can't even reach some of mine by myself. I muse about the whole world just using a universal time. But we know how that worked out with the metric system.

 

[tlcya]

it sucks leaving work at 5 and finding it already dark outside. as if you may as well go on home and go to bed only to rinse lather repeat tomorrow.

 

[Penny68]

With the hour change it takes a few days to adjust for insulin to be taken before meals. Chipping away/into the hour.

 

[annemc2]

This time change is confusing our animals, our cat is used to treats when it gets dark. But, now, it is light here until past 8. So, she looks around for treats at 430ish, but Daddeh tells her, "No treats, until it gets dark". So she wanderers around like a lost soul.

She seems so confused.

We're in the PNW. Doggy dinner will be at like 4 pm!! And I can't imagine how hard that would be with insulin dosing. It all sucks. I'm moving to the beach.

 

[Charlot123]

We're in the PNW. Doggy dinner will be at like 4 pm!! And I can't imagine how hard that would be with insulin dosing. It all sucks. I'm moving to the beach.

PNW too. It is not cold here. I give it to PNW. Otherwise, me being nocturnal, I can’t say I hate it in autumn but surely, it is better to stop useless DST.

There are some things that need to be adjusted world-wide.

A) date format (YYYY-MM-DD)
B) everyone using metric system (but I understand, transition will take a lot of time and errors in the US)
C) there is zero use to move the time to and fro in the US. Stop it. Please.
D) up to the countries whether to drive on the R or L side, but maybe unification is something to consider?

I read it was Germany during WWI who first initiated it. The history of DST in the US is more complicated.

No, Ben Franklin Did Not Invent Daylight Saving Time

Our clocks are about to make like a leaf and “fall” back, but there are a few DST myths you shouldn’t fall back on.

www.countryliving.com

 

[PrairieWind]

PNW too. It is not cold here. I give it to PNW. Otherwise, me being nocturnal, I can’t say I hate it in autumn but surely, it is better to stop useless DST.

There are some things that need to be adjusted world-wide.

A) date format (YYYY-MM-DD)
B) everyone using metric system (but I understand, transition will take a lot of time and errors in the US)
C) there is zero use to move the time to and fro in the US. Stop it. Please.
D) up to the countries whether to drive on the R or L side, but maybe unification is something to consider?

I read it was Germany during WWI who first initiated it. The history of DST in the US is more complicated.

No, Ben Franklin Did Not Invent Daylight Saving Time

Our clocks are about to make like a leaf and “fall” back, but there are a few DST myths you shouldn’t fall back on.

www.countryliving.com

Daylight saving time I believe was a European invention and still is observed there. So you'll have to get them on board as well. I think most Americans and certainly most US states in the West are ready to get rid of it.

As for your other suggestions, the date, I couldn't care less.

Driving, couldn't care less, maybe makes sense to get everyone to drive on the same side, but not a big deal.

but back to time zones. Should there be more standardized zones? some zones zig zag oddly. China is a massive country but is all on one time zone.

 

[Charlot123]

Daylight saving time I believe was a European invention and still is observed there. So you'll have to get them on board as well. I think most Americans and certainly most US states in the West are ready to get rid of it.

As for your other suggestions, the date, I couldn't care less.

Driving, couldn't care less, maybe makes sense to get everyone to drive on the same side, but not a big deal.

but back to time zones. Should there be more standardized zones? some zones zig zag oddly. China is a massive country but is all on one time zone.

It was Germany during WWI. To conserve coal during wartime. Austro-Hungary followed suit and then, most countries involved in WWI. Actually, US farmers asked to reverse DST order, so then it was dropped after WWI, started again and dropped again by FDR and introduced permanently by Johnson in 1966. (All these things correlate with wars, or energy crises, it seems).

Many countries in Europe dropped DST. We probably should ask Germany that likes long studies to do one. Or, ask Denmark that observes it to do a cohort study.

Who really tried to observe DST was Ancient Rome but they didn’t have proper clock for it.

Driving. Think of this. Planes have one configuration for flying. Why not driving?

 

[PrairieWind]

It was Germany during WWI. To conserve coal during wartime. Austro-Hungary followed suit and then, most countries involved in WWI. Actually, US farmers asked to reverse DST order, so then it was dropped after WWI, started again and dropped again by FDR and introduced permanently by Johnson in 1966. (All these things correlate with wars, or energy crises, it seems).

Many countries in Europe dropped DST. We probably should ask Germany that likes long studies to do one. Or, ask Denmark that observes it to do a cohort study.

Who really tried to observe DST was Ancient Rome but they didn’t have proper clock for it.

Driving. Think of this. Planes have one configuration for flying. Why not driving?

Most of, if not all, the EU still changes time from daylight saving to standard as well, thought the date is different than the US/Canada which is a bit confusing.

As for flying, planes can be flown from either seat, not so with cars. Not sure what you were getting at there.
When I travel to countries that drive on the left side, I don't drive. All my driving instincts are wrong and I just don't want to worry about it.

 

[Charlot123]

Most of, if not all, the EU still changes time from daylight saving to standard as well, thought the date is different than the US/Canada which is a bit confusing.

As for flying, planes can be flown from either seat, not so with cars. Not sure what you were getting at there.
When I travel to countries that drive on the left side, I don't drive. All my driving instincts are wrong and I just don't want to worry about it.

We did, in New Zealand, but not in Auckland. There are some countries where I’d be afraid to drive even on the right side, though.

About the plane - my fault.

 

[PrairieWind]

We did, in New Zealand, but not in Auckland. There are some countries where I’d be afraid to drive even on the right side, though.

About the plane - my fault.

Exactly. Most times when I travel abroad, I don't even think about renting a car to drive myself. I drove in Germany and was pretty comfortable there. I drove in Korea and that was interesting, but not too bad. But most other places, I'll pass.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Daylight saving time is ending Sunday. Here's what to know as clocks 'fall back.'

Daylight saving time started March 9 and ends Sunday, when residents of almost all states will gain an extra hour.

www.nbcnews.com

It’s time to fall back again.

The clock will strike 1 a.m. twice Sunday as daylight saving time once again comes to an end.

Here’s what you need to know about daylight saving time and why the United States changes clocks twice a year...

 

[IceIce9]

Fun fact: Time Zones were originally set up by the railroad companies, not the government.


Efficient rail transportation demanded a more uniform time-keeping system. Rather than turning to the federal governments of the United States and Canada to create a North American system of time zones, the powerful railroad companies took it upon themselves to create a new time code system. The companies agreed to divide the continent into four time zones; the dividing lines adopted were very close to the ones we still use today

Railroads create the first time zones | November 18, 1883 | HISTORY

At exactly noon on this day, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confu...

www.history.com

In 1809, 1870 and 1872, Congress considered and rejected calls to establish national standard time. Needing a more organized method of keeping time, railroads in the United States and Canada took the matter into their own hands. On November 18, 1883, known as "the Day of Two Noons," railroads implemented a system of time zones. It was called "the Day of Two Noons" because in the eastern part of each time zone there was a noon based upon sun-time; then another noon when clocks and watches were set back to the new standard railroad time.

Reactions were mixed. Some citizens felt that by adopting standard time, they were being robbed of some of their daylight, or that they were being compelled to abide by a timing system that was contrary to nature. Others wanted a different method of standardizing time, such as one single time for the entire country, or a 24-hour clock.

Time is of the essence... or the railroad?

In the 19th century, time was a local matter. Most communities had a clock in the town square that provided the time. This method of keeping time was called sun-time, because the clocks were set by the position of the sun -- meaning the time of day varied from town to town. Railroads, however...

www.uprrmuseum.org

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

It's not just humans and animals that are impacted by the time change from Daylight to Standard Time in the fall. Our air purifier goes into "sleep" mode earlier and earlier as we approach the Winter Solstice. We bought the air purifier for the Master bedroom during Covid. My allergist had suggested an air purifier for our bedroom many years ago, but it wasn't a priority at the time. When Covid arrived, and everyone was talking about air purifiers, we decided to get one for the Master bedroom where we spend 1/3 of our lives.

The unit runs throughout the day but goes into "sleep" mode when it's dark. It is still working but doesn't make any sound and the bright lights are dimmed. Lo! And behold! I've walked into the Master bedroom occasionally in the mid-to-late afternoon in recent weeks and notice that the air purifier is already in "sleep" mode at 3:00-4:00PM even though our bedroom has a western exposure with blinds open during the day. Michigan winters tend to be dark, and dreary much of the time, not to mention the cold and snow. I'm convinced that we would probably benefit from year-round Daylight time.

 

[elliefant]

Similar complication for our electricity supply rates. We pay cheaper rates for electricity used during off-peak hours. The elec supply infrastructure doesn’t know clocks are changing. So for half the year off-peak hours are 2330-0530, for the other half they are 0030-0630 (where I am; times can differ across regions). It catches a lot of people out when they are trying to save money on their bills.