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By Cecile Entleitner, Associate, Blakey & Agnew
On November 3, the clocks in the majority of the country will once again "fall back" an hour signifying the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). For many Americans this time change represents little more than an additional hour of sleep in the morning or the start of the winter season, but the history of standardized time zones is actually strongly tied to transportation and commerce. This connection remains evident even now, over a century after DST was first observed in the United States. In recent years, several campaigns have attempted to make changes to the practice—ranging from abolishing DST completely to making it permanent year-round. As these debates progress, the transportation industry continues to have a vested interest in the matter.
For much of the 19th century, cities and towns each set their time based on geographic solar time, resulting in hundreds of varying local "sun times" across the country. As you might imagine, this system became increasingly confusing as long-distance transportation and communications technologies advanced. In an effort to streamline rail transportation in the region, railroads in the U.S. and Canada adopted a new time-keeping system, operating under four standardized time zones. While the standard time zones were used by railroads starting in 1883, following a similar endeavor led by railways in Great Britain three years earlier, they were not implemented nationally until 1918. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act transferred the authority to oversee and enforce regulations governing time to the newly established U.S. Department of Transportation. The federal statute, which is still in effect now, notes that any changes to time zones should be guided by the "convenience of commerce."
In addition to adopting the railroads' standard time zones, the 1918 Standard Time Act also established the first observance of DST. DST was implemented during both World War I and World War II in an attempt to reduce energy consumption, but was repealed in the time period between the wars and following the end of World War II. The use of DST became optional, allowing states and cities to decide if and when it was enforced. The inconsistent use of DST across the nation, again, resulted in major logistical complications affecting the transportation industry. Consequently, the 1966 Uniform Time Act established standardized start and end dates for the DST period. Under this new law, states could still opt out of DST but only if the entire state did so (this was later amended to allow states with multiple time zones the option of exempting the entire state from DST or by time zone).
Currently, Hawaii and Arizona are the only states that do not observe DST. However, 36 states have introduced legislation this year to either study the effects of or make changes to DST. The issue attracted national attention in March, when
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congressional lawmakers from Florida introduced the Sunshine Protection Act in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The measure seeks to make DST the new permanent standard time. Even President Trump weighed in, signaling his approval for the proposal by tweeting "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!" The bills have not yet been taken up in their committees of reference.
While the general pros and cons of DST have been debated over the past years, given its history, the impact on the transportation sector specifically should be taken into consideration. Even just a slight time change has been associated with increased fatigue, sleep deprivation, and circadian rhythm disruptions. These effects have the potential to negatively influence anyone's daily routine but could have more serious consequences for truck drivers. The inconsistent and often long shifts commercial drivers work can make it harder to adjust to time changes. A 2016 study found that the transition to DST raises the risk of fatal motor vehicle crashes by up to 6.5 percent, with sleep deprivation listed as the most significant factor for the increase. The study also notes that the "results imply that a one-hour sleep loss increases the probability of being in a drowsiness-related fatal crash by 46 percent." Proponents of DST cite the economic benefits of extra daylight in the evenings to businesses, especially in the retail and restaurant industries. They also highlight certain health and safety advantages, including lower crime rates, increased physical activity and fitness
The U.S. is not the only country considering changes to DST, in March the European Parliament voted on a draft measure to end the semiannual time shift by 2021 in all European Union member states. Each nation will be given the option to either permanently enforce DST or standard time year-round. Notably, these discussions were also spearheaded by EU members' national transportation ministers.
While the various proposals on this issue await legislative action in the U.S. and internationally, approximately 40 percent of the world will continue the practice of changing their clocks twice a year. If this will be the case a few years from now, only time will tell.
Blakey & Agnew, LLC is a public affairs and
communications consulting firm based in
Washington, DC.
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