Clocks Spring Ahead This Weekend and Maybe for the Last Time

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 10th at 2 in the morning when the clocks spring ahead to 3 a.m. We lose an hour of sleep that is true, but we also gain an hour of sunlight in the evening. And if a new bill passes, daylight saving time will be permanent.

Sunset this week in Binghamton has been right around 6 PM. With the clock change this weekend, the sun will set at 7 on Sunday night. On the flip side, the sun has been rising right around 6:30 in the morning all week in our area, and starting next week it will rise around 7:30 in the morning.

I agree that changing the clocks is a real pain in the ass. You have to change the clock on your stove, your microwave all the clocks on the walls, your watches, and the clocks in your vehicles.

Well if some politicians from Florida have their way, we will never have to change the clocks again after this weekend.

According to WRIC, Florida Senators Mark Rubio, and Rick Scott were joined by Representative Vern Buchanan as they introduced the Sunshine Protection Act. If the legislation passes, States who currently participate in daylight saving time would not go back to standard time in the fall.

This is the second time that Senator Rubio has introduced this measure. WRIC went on to say that according to Senator Rubio's press release, some of the potential positives for making daylight saving time permanent, include a reduction in car accidents including accidents with pedestrians, the reduction in energy usage, and Rubio even claims that it reduces the number of robberies by 27%.

Now, if I did my math correctly, if we were to stay at daylight saving time all year, on the first day of winter in December, the shortest the day with the shortest amount of daylight, the sun would not rise until 8:29 in the morning. That means kids would be going off to school in the dark, and people that work outside would have to wait longer for the sunlight to light their way.

Florida passed legislation last year to make daylight saving time permanent in the Sunshine State.

I guess we'll see how this plays out. But for the time being, don't forget to set your clocks an hour ahead before you go to bed Saturday night or you will end up being an hour late for everything on Sunday.

And change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

[via WRIC]