On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate voted to end the biannual practice of switching the clocks. According to the proposed legislation, states would be able to determine whether or not to continue using Daylight Saving Time throughout the year. The bill will now head to the House and must be signed by President Joe Biden to become law.
Medical research shows that it raises the risk of heart attacks and workplace accidents. It’s also a concern for public safety. According to a former Bay Area assemblyman, Kansen Chu, these are just some of the reasons to ditch this “ridiculous anachronism.”
As a co-author of Prop 7 with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez in 2017, Kansen conducted a significant study (D-San Diego). Initially, the notion of changing the clocks was conceived to help farmers have extra daylight hours to work in the fields, according to Kansen.
Proponents may argue that the longer evenings encourage people to go out, spend money on recreation, and increase tourism. However, the risks outweigh the benefits because the time change can mess with our body clocks and circadian rhythms, resulting in sleepless nights and sleepy days, reducing productivity as a consequence.
This has been a long-standing debate. Read the history here.