EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT NEWS
Ponca City Emergency Management
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS FOR THE YEAR
Daylight Saving Time comes to an end this weekend. Before you go to bed on November 5, set your clocks back one hour. That means that instead of coming home with plenty of time to grill, mow, or take a leisurely stroll, you will be coming home to darkness. It means that kids will be cooped up inside all evening after being cooped up in school all day, and that all those outdoor chores will have to be saved for the weekends.
Daylight Saving Time was first introduced to the United States in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to support the war effort during World War I, but it was first used in Germany in 1916 for much the same reason. Other countries followed. Over the years DST schedule has been revised many times and has been a hotly debated topic. Whether you love it or hate it, here are some things you may not know.
- Benjamin Franklin is credited with the concept of Daylight Saving Time in 1784.
- Two states do not observe DST: Hawaii and Arizona.
- The risk of having a heart attack increases for the first few days after switching to DST in the spring but decreases after the switch in the fall.
- Traffic accidents increase the week following the start of DST but only during the first week. Over the seven month time period, DST has the positive effect of reducing accidents.
- Studies actually estimate that we could save about 366 more lives per year if we extended DST all year round.
- A study by the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that crime was consistently less during periods of Daylight Saving Time than during comparable standard time periods. Data showed violent crime down 10 to 13 percent.
- On the negative side, the switch from standard to Daylight Saving Time is connected to decreased productivity and increased cases of depression.
It is good practice to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and your weather radio the same day you set your clocks back an hour. Remember, Spring Forward, Fall Back!
Contact: Paula Cain, Emergency Management Director, 767-0380
The post Ready To ‘Fall Back’? appeared first on Ponca Post.