Senate votes to make daylight saving permanent

You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning to catch out us Americans… Or do you?

The end of time

Ah, daylight savings time – the most unwelcome reminder of winter weather around. Not a fan of dark November afternoons? Well, the Senate has your back. A bipartisan bill has been unanimously passed to abolish standard time.

The amendment to the existing Sunshine Protection Act would come into force in November 2023, but would still allow states to amend the clocks if there’s a desire for it.

Stop, clock and roll

Admittedly, it might not be a vote swinger in November’s midterms, but hear us out on this one.

There’s evidence to show that not changing the clocks could save people’s lives, with fatal car accidents jumping 6% in the days following the changes. One hour less of shuteye disrupts sleeping patterns, leading to bodily confusion and just plain sleepiness. Not a great state to be in at the wheel.

It could also help Americans save on their bills, although this one is a little more contested. An hour extra sun means, in theory, an hour of slightly higher temperatures, meaning we don’t need to crank up the heating to compensate.

So to find out if we’ll be getting an extra hour of sunlight in November, keep an eye on the House – and the road.