I think Daylight Saving Time is good, that the complaints about it come from a loud minority whereas nobody feels the need to defend the status quo, and that if we did get rid of it there would immediately be a loud outcry to bring it back.
This is an unpopular opinion online, especially among other programmers, but I do think thereâs a false consensus of anti-DST sentiment and that most people are basically in favor even if they never feel the need to say so.
I generally see these arguments against DST online:
When the sun is at X position in the sky, the clock should read Y
Sunlight during the morning commute improves traffic safety for drivers and kids waiting for the schoolbus
Sunlight after work improves viability of local small businesses and after-school activities
The rate of car crashes, heart attacks, and other hospitalizations spikes the day after each DST switch, in either clock direction
That last point seems to justify getting rid of DST all on its own.
5. Itâs annoying as shit for no reason.
6. Measurable increase in business disruptions (ie people show up at the wrong times, increasing fatigue increases errors and reduces productivity).
I lived in an area that didnât observe daylight savings time for a while and I really preferred it. If itâs so important that school buses have a particular level of daylight, then school start times should be adjusted accordingly through the year, perhaps corresponding with returns from school vacations. Literally everyone doesnât need to face a physically harmful productivity reduction to achieve daylight for school buses.
