Instead of turning Daylight Saving Time (DST) off, Congress should turn it on year-round. There are several reasons to support this: DST saves energy, far more oil, electricity, and energy are used during evening darkness than morning; numerous types of crime, including assault and theft, peak during evening darkness, while the corresponding rates are very low during early morning; and DST year-round would save more than 350 American lives annually in reduced traffic fatalities during the evening, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The advantages of year-round DST—including energy conservation, crime reduction, and lives saved—clearly outweigh the disadvantages. It is past time for us to shift our thinking permanently forward on DST.



