If you’re looking forward to more daylight in the evenings, this will be good news. If you enjoy sleeping, not so much.
Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday for most of the U.S., meaning the majority of Americans will “spring forward” by setting their clocks ahead one hour.
Daylight saving time is observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The USDOT has overseen the time change since 1966, when Congress transferred the responsibility from the Interstate Commerce Commission.
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Everywhere in the U.S., except Hawaii and most of Arizona, observes the time change. To make matters more confusing, Navajo Nation in Arizona does observe DST. Some U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, also do not change their clocks twice a year.
In the past five years, states have increasingly pushed to remain on daylight saving time. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, at least 33 have attempted to keep daylight saving time year-round through state legislative efforts.
Florida and California state lawmakers voted in 2018 to make daylight saving time permanent, but the change still requires approval from the U.S. House of Representatives. According to the USDOT, federal law allows an individual state not to observe daylight saving time. Still, it does not allow states to make DST permanent.
Congress regularly mulls the possibility of making daylight saving time year-round, citing health concerns about the effects of time changes.
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Fire safety advocates also use the twice-a-year time change as a reminder for people to test their smoke detectors and change the batteries.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke detectors are a critical part of home fire safety, but they’re not all created equal. Some smoke detectors have a 10-year battery that requires the entire alarm to be replaced once the battery dies, according to the NFPA.
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The NFPA said people should replace the batteries or unit right away if a smoke detector begins chirping.
Carbon monoxide detectors should also be checked.