6pm is too early for nighttime darkness to set in. Later in the evening is much more appropriate.
Under our current system we have extended daylight during the spring and summer, Eastern Daylight Time, and in the fall and winter we change our clocks to Eastern Standard Time, which brings each day to nightfall a little sooner than desirable. It’s time to pick one time and keep it all-the-time.
HB 6 from Delegate Joe McNamara seeks to keep our clocks set at Eastern Daylight Time year-round. It should pass.
Changing the clocks twice a year has never made much sense. We “spring forward” an hour, then “fall back” that same hour, back to where we were. But any farmer will tell you that the livestock refuse to change their clocks each year; feeding time is feeding time regardless of what a fancy Swiss made clock has to say.
Safety is an issue here. Traffic accident statistics show drivers are more likely to be involved in a serious crash at night than during the day. Kids coming home from school and after-school activities are safer in daylight hours. Sports are more enjoyable under the sun than under the lights.
HB 6 includes the line, “as provided by federal law,” meaning the US Congress needs to pass a bill either setting Daylight Time or allowing the states to make their own determination. Currently in the hopper is Sen. Marco Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act, which would keep the United States on Daylight Time all year. It is a good bill that has support from both parties, but its fate is, at best, uncertain. This is not the first time Rubio has tried this. Let’s hope this attempt is a success.
Capitol Hill is notorious for delaying good legislation. They need a wakeup call from the states (in many, many aspects). In this case, HB 6 could attract positive national attention, which could then show Congress that broad support for Daylight Time is the expressed will of the people. Virginia could lead the way on this already popular position.
Albert Einstein said time is relative and the US Congress has changed our clocks many times. From Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush, our Standard Time and Daylight Time has been created, repealed, reinstated, moved, and extended. And yet none of that activity was recognized by America’s livestock. This clock game should end. It is time for Virginia to have Eastern Daylight Time all-the-time.
