Daylight saving time is this weekend, but some oppose the practice. Photo credit: Michael Brandy/Deseret Morning News.
SALT LAKE CITY — The clocks will move forward an hour this Sunday for daylight saving time. And that means the sun will be coming up later in the day.
Sgt. Cameron Roden with Utah Highway Patrol is asking drivers to be extra careful in the mornings.
‘We do see those fatalities and pedestrian crashes are elevated,” Roden tells Utah’s Morning News.
Sgt. Roden said it’s important for drivers to do everything to look out for pedestrians. And for pedestrians to make themselves as visible as possible.
Health experts have also expressed concern over the impacts of switching back and forth.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has even called for an end to daylight saving. They claim that “standard time more closely aligns with the daily rhythms of the body’s internal clock.“
Opinion on daylight saving time has been mostly negative in recent polls. A poll from the AP in October found that most Americans agree on wanting to end the practice. But people are split on whether daylight saving time or standard time would be the best option.
The push for an end is stalled in Washington.
A congressional panel on Wednesday debated ending it, citing the health and safety concerns.
And Utah passed a bill in 2020 to stick to daylight time permanently. But only if other western states made the same decision.
And 19 states have passed legislation to move to daylight saving time — but it’s still contingent on congressional approval.
Congressman Chris Stewart is also sponsoring the Daylight Act, but Congress has yet to take action.