Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14^th. We need to set our clock forward one hour and thus returning to standard time.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Daylight Saving Time in the U.S., did a study by having Daylight Saving Time last for ten months in 1974 and eight months in 1975, instead of the usual 6 months. They concluded that:

• Daylight Saving Time saves energy. Based on consumption figures for 1974 and 1975, The Department of Transportation says observing Daylight Saving Time in March and April saved the equivalent in energy of 10,000 barrels of oil each day, a total of 600,000 barrels in each of those two years. Studies by the California Energy Commission confirm a saving of about one percent per day.
• Daylight Saving Time saves lives and prevents traffic injuries. The earlier Daylight Saving Time allowed more people to travel home from work and school in daylight, which is much safer than darkness.
• Daylight Saving Time prevents crime. Because people get home from work and school and complete more errands and chores in daylight, Daylight Saving Time also seems to reduce people's exposure to various crimes, which are more common in darkness than in light.

The Department of Transportation estimated that 50 lives were saved and about 2,000 injuries were prevented in March and April of the study years. Don’t forget to change your clocks and your smoke detector batteries on Sunday, March 14^th at 2:00 a.m.

Source: energy.ca.gov.