NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, Sunday at 2 a.m.

We’ll set our clock back an hour, gain an hour of sleep, and then take about a week or so to complain about how dark it is in the early evening.

For years, a debate has raged over whether we should abandon changing the clocks twice a year. It even gained momentum with local state governments, but even with a few bills introduced, none ever made much progress. While about 2/3 of Americans say they want to stop changing the time, there is no clear agreement on whether to keep Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight saving time was first implemented during World War I as an energy-saving policy. However, the most recent 2008 study on DST and energy consumption found that people actually use more energy during DST because with more daylight , people are running air conditioners longer, even if their lights don’t stay on as long. However, some argue that climate change and increasingly warmer temperatures every year play a role in this.

Research has shown that the biggest headache when changing the time is driving. While more people will benefit from daylight for their morning commute, it will be dark for most returning from work. Studies show that a few days after DST ends, the number of car accidents increases significantly during evening rush hours.

In 1974, the Americans did stop changing the time… but it didn’t work for long. After a few months of going to Daylight Saving Time during the fall and winter months, we returned to the time change because there was great concern about children going to school in the ‘darkness. Even if we don’t change our clocks, the Earth continues to revolve around the sun and creates shorter daylight hours during the winter months, regardless of the actual time. If we were to get rid of standard time altogether, the sun would not rise until after 8:00 a.m. during the winter months. During tests carried out in the 1970s, there was an astronomical increase in the number of car accidents, especially early in the morning.

On the other hand, retailers say DST helps boost the economy when it stays clearer later. More and more people say they don’t shop as much during the fall and winter months because it gets darker earlier. Women, in particular, do not like to be in dark parking lots or garages for safety reasons. It’s a fact that outside of the Christmas rush, retail sales are typically much slower during Standard Time months, but it hasn’t been proven that the time change has a direct impact on this or not.

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