Daylight Savings Time set to change next weekend

Those wishing for a few more hours of daylight in the evenings will get their wish starting next weekend.

According to a bill signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2005, daylight savings time will begin three weeks earlier and end one week later than usual.

That means residents will find themselves "springing forward" on the second Sunday in March and "falling back" the first Sunday in November. The switch this year will take place at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11.

While the new law is expected to save the nation money energy-wise, local school districts are concerned about the safety of students waiting for buses in the darker early morning hours.

Although most buses in Stoddard County don't leave to run routes until 7 a.m., Dexter Superintendent Ken Jackson and Bernie Superintendent Robin Ritchie said during an interview in 2005 when the bill was signed into a law that the diminished light will still be a safety issue for students.

"The majority of the buses here in Dexter leave between 7 and 7:10 to start their morning routes," said Jackson. "We have 17 buses that run approximately 28 or 29 routes because these buses run an in-town route and they will go out to the county to run a route.

"It being darker would be a little bit of a concern I think," continued Jackson. "I don't much like to pick kids up before 7 o'clock because they have to have time to get up and eat breakfast and get prepared and in some cases get to a designated spot.

"A lot of times in the winter months, by 7 o'clock the sun hasn't been up for a real long time," Jackson said. "If they alter the starting schedules, that could definitely be a safety issue for kids waiting for buses out by the road."

Ritchie's views on the subject were much the same as Jackson's.

"It will really depend on when it starts getting light outside," said Ritchie. "But the light factor is always something that has been mentioned as a concern.

"That was why we always like daylight savings time, because it didn't really interfere with the school year and it was light outside when students are out in the morning catching buses," Ritchie continued. "But this would definitely be a concern for us depending on what time the sun will rise.

"We're all for saving energy here, but of course, safety for our students will always be the priority issue for us."

Another problem may arise in the technological world as well.

According to Socket Tech Talk, many technological devices -- including most computers -- are made to recognize DST the old way. The transition period may cause problems if clocks are not adjusted to the proper time.

Some advise offered by Socket Tech Talk includes:

* Adjusting your computer's time: Computers running the new Windows Vista operating system need not worry about the problem. Users of Windows XP will need to download a special patch to adjust the dates when DST is recognized. Apple has released similar patches for all Macs running post-OSX 10.3 operating systems. Unfortunately, patches are not available to some operating systems including some versions of Windows 2000, ME and 98 and Mac OS 9.2 and older). Computers running these operating systems should be manually reset from now on in order to display the proper time.

* Pay attention to programs and devices: While these fixes will adjust your computer's time, other problems may occur. For example, applications or Web sites using Java may show incorrect times. Appointments scheduled in Microsoft Outlook or a similar scheduling program may be off by an hour. Time stamps on e-mail messages can also be incorrect if senders do not update their clocks, and online auction end times could also be inaccurate.

* Other reccomendations: Many software vendors and manufacturers of technology-related devices suggest paying special attention to time-sensitive applications and devices during the transition period. Double-check the accuracy of calendar items and confirm appointments via e-mail or phone. Contact the manufacturer of a particular device to find out how to make sure it's prepared for the change.

Daylight savings time was first instituted during World War I, also in an effort to save energy by taking advantage of the extended period of daylight. However, after the war, states were given the choice as to whether or not to continue with daylight savings time until World War II, when it was again nationally re-instituted.

The passage of the Uniform Time Act in 1966 federally standardized daylight savings time except in Hawaii, Arizona and parts of Indiana.

Sacha Champion may be reached via email at schampion@dailystatesman.com