ASHEBORO, N.C. — Daylight saving time ends early Sunday, when clocks will be set back one hour at 2 a.m., ending several months of earlier sunset times and giving Americans an extra hour of sleep.
The U.S. adopted daylight saving time in 1918 as a wartime energy conservation measure, and the practice has continued despite mixed results and health concerns.
A U.S. Department of Transportation report found that daylight saving time reduces electricity usage by only 1 percent and has no impact on home heating. Recent studies have also linked the time change to increases in fatal vehicle crashes, workplace injuries, strokes and temporary rises in suicides.
An AP-NORC Center poll found most Americans prefer staying on daylight saving time year-round, though support for the time change itself has declined as people rely less on manually adjusting clocks.
Despite the concerns and public preference, 19 states have enacted legislation supporting year-round daylight saving time, but federal law currently prohibits permanent DST. Congress would need to act to allow states to make the change.
The Sunshine Protection Act, which would keep the entire country on daylight saving time year-round, has been introduced multiple times. The bill garnered 3 co-sponsors when introduced in 2018 and 2019 but died in committee both times. This year’s version in the Senate and House currently has 37 co-sponsors.
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