Kingstonian’s Weigh in on Daylight Savings

I’ve been looking forward to this coming weekend since March 13th, chiefly because we get an extra hour to sleep in on Sunday morning.  But then again, maybe my internal clock won’t let me snooze past my regular rise and shine time, and instead I’ll net an extra hour to be productive.  No matter how you slice it, I’m going to take full advantage of daylight savings time coming to a close.  Support for DST has been dwindling in recent years, as the benefits are increasingly contested and various countries around the world no longer observe this practice.  Last March, Saskatchewan residents re-confirmed their opposition of DST, as they are the only Canadian province who does not switch in the Spring. Accordingly, this week’s poll asks:

Advocates for DST claim that by aligning our schedule to make optimal use of the sun, we use less electricity for lighting, and are more apt to get outside and be active.  Studies have shown that DST negatively impacts prime time ratings as fewer people are parked in front of their televisions.  Conversely, statistics also hint that DST could be partially to blame for increased traffic accidents, as one less hour of sleep decreases attentiveness and response time.  For me, falling back is always preferred over springing ahead.  If I forget about the end of DST and show up somewhere an hour too early, the consequence of error is really minimal.  Conversely, if I were to forget to spring forward, both my work and personal schedule would be negatively impacted.

What are your thoughts on DST?  Should Ontario consider doing away with this practice, or are the benefits truly worth the trouble.  Please drop off your thoughts below, and don’t forget to change your clocks when you rise on Sunday morning.

Thanks to niseag03 for today’s photo.