The Daylight Saving Time Study Volume I – Final Report on the Operation and Effects of Daylight Saving Time

Details

• Alternative Title:
  The Daylight Saving Time Study: Executive Summary. Final Report on the Operation and Effects of Daylight Saving Time
• Creators:
  Ebersole, Nancy ; Rubin, David ; Darling, Eugene ; Englander, Irwin ; Frenkel, Lothar ; Meyerhoff, Norman J. ; Prerau, David S. ; Schaeffer, K. H. ; Morrison, J.
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Transportation Systems Center
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Crimes Daylight Saving Time Electricity Fatalities Motor Vehicles Public Opinion Sunrise And Sunset Times Time Zone Boundaries Time Zones Traffic Crashes Travel Year Round Daylight Saving Time (YRDST)

  More +
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Final Report: January-July 1975
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Transportation Systems Center
• Abstract:
  In December 1973, Congress enacted the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act of 1973 which placed the nation on Year-Round Daylight Saving Time for a two year trial period starting Jan. 6, 1974. While energy savings was the main purpose other benefits in safety and crime were also considered to be possible effects. The Act required that the Secretary of Transportation prepare interim and final reports on the operation and effects of the Act. The interim report was based on preliminary analysis of data from less than half a year of operation of the Act. It was submitted to Congress in June 1974. As recommended in the interim report, Congress amended the Act of 1973 which continued the two year experiment but included a period of standard time from November 1974 through February 1975. This final report is based on a multiagency study and includes more extensive analyses of the larger body of data resulting from both years of the experiment. However, some data items, e.g., 1974-75 highway accidents and fatalities, involve considerable time lags and were not available for analysis. Therefore, it was necessary to infer some DST impacts for the 8-4 experiment. Indications of beneficial DST effects were found in electricity use, fatal motor vehicle accidents and crime. The study findings suggest that a modest overall benefit might be realized by a shift from the historic 6-6 system to an 8-4 DST system. Public opinion in 1975 favored an 8-4 system by a 2 to 1 ratio.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0b444cd618db604b45d9679dc29438f4e63855f99d2772a7960bf4cb9f391f654864a7ca22a4323534e624a511e484fb4597087aa1160f86de4e6cdfd72d6682
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92250/dot_92250_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.33 MB ]