Most Americans will turn back their clocks this weekend, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time. But is the time change really necessary?
Daylight Saving became an official American standard in 1966, and was created to conserve energy. Most of Asia, Africa and South America do not observe Daylight Saving.
Quartz writer and economist Allison Schrager spoke to CBSN about an article she wrote on why the US should retire daylight savings and have just two time zones – one hour apart.
"It would seem to be more efficient to do away with the practice altogether," Schrager wrote. "The actual energy savings are minimal, if they exist at all. Frequent and uncoordinated time changes cause confusion, undermining economic efficiency."
Schrager suggests Americans on Eastern Standard Time should set their clocks back one hour (like normal), Americans on Central and Rocky Mountain time do nothing, and Americans on Pacific time should set their clocks forward one hour.
A bill to eliminate Daylight Saving Time in Washington state died in committee last year.
Top stories on KIRO7.com
· Spanaway mother accused of injecting heroin into children, calling it 'sleep juice'
· 7-year-old hit by vehicle while trick-or-treating in Tacoma
· Police: Woman stabbed by trick-or-treater in Federal Way
· Everett City Utilities double-bills hundreds of customers
· Bothell is asking for biggest tax levy outside of ST3
· Minute-by-minute updates: SPU trial day 9
· Police: 6 dead after buses collide in Baltimore
· Unprecedented numbers of voters beat registration deadline in King County
· Get updates and alerts anytime with the KIRO 7 News App
Cox Media Group