Spring Forward; Daylight Saving Time Is Here

This Sunday (March 13) will be the semi-annual ritual of changing our clocks to conform with Daylight Saving Time, when we Aspring ahead@ an hour at 2 a.m.

While this used to be the norm in Indiana, the state did not observe Daylight Saving Time for more than 30 years.

{EDITORS NOTE: The following information was taken from the website webexhibits.org, a public service of the Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA), and provides some interesting background on Daylight Saving Time.}

WHEN IN THE MORNING?

In the U.S., clocks change at 2 a.m. local time. In spring, clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3 a.m. In fall, clocks fall back from 1:59 a.m. to 1 a.m.

In the U.S., restaurants and bars have various closing policies. In many states, liquor cannot be served after 2 a.m. But at 2 a.m. in the fall, the time switches back one hour. So, can they serve alcohol for that additional hour in October? The official answer is that the bars do not stop serving liquor at 2 a.m., but actually at 1:59 a.m. So, they have already stopped serving when the time changes from Daylight Saving Time into Standard Time. In practice, however, many establishments stay open an extra hour in the fall.

In the U.S., 2 a.m. was originally chosen as the changeover time because it was practical and minimized disruption. Most people were at home and this was the time when the fewest trains were running. It is late enough to minimally affect bars and restaurants, and it prevents the day from switching to yesterday, which would be confusing. It is early enough that the entire continental U.S. switches by daybreak, and the changeover occurs before most early shift workers and early churchgoers are affected.

For the full article, see this week’s edition of the Parke County Sentinel.