When Will It Stop? the Secret Legislative Logjam Keeping Daylight Saving Time Alive

What are the facts regarding When Will It Stop? the Secret Legislative Logjam Keeping Daylight Saving Time Alive? Get the answers in this feature article.

Whenever lawmakers push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, seasoned historians point to a cautionary tale: America already tried this, and it backfired almost immediately.

In December 1973, facing the severe OPEC oil embargo, President Richard Nixon signed emergency legislation establishing year-round Daylight Saving Time for a two-year trial period. The goal was to reduce national electrical energy demand by extending evening daylight. Public support sat at an astonishing 79% approval when the bill became law.

The trial began on January 6, 1974. The enthusiasm vanished within weeks.

Across northern and western portions of each time zone, children walked along icy streets and stood at suburban bus stops in pitch darkness. Between January and February, eight children in Florida were struck and killed by vehicles during morning school commutes. Outraged parents inundated congressional switchboards with demands to reverse the law. By August 1974, national approval for permanent Daylight Saving Time plummeted to 42%. In October 1974, Congress voted overwhelmingly to repeal the experiment early, restoring the standard winter clock.

That historical debacle still haunts committee rooms. Lawmakers know that constituents love evening daylight in July, but despise pitch-black mornings in January.