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Comment by dathinab | Hacker News Reader

DST wasn't a mistake and did make a lot of time (at least if you are far enough away from the equator). Heck if you go back far enough local time might have varied by session/be relative to sun rise, and that did make sense in the past.

What is the mistake is keeping it.

Through changes need to be coordinated (e.g. in the EU across _all_ EU member states), which makes it an annoying topic to takle.

That people tent to say "keep winter time" but it directly conflict with what sleep scientist tend to recommend is not helping either. In the end normal time is summer time and it is better for most peoples sleep rithm that is what we should go to.

Oh also don't shift work start/end times, the whole point is to not shift when you need to wake up/go to bed but can have consistent healthy sleep.

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> In the end normal time is summer time

I think you have this backward. Standard time is during winter. Daylight savings is during summer.

That being said, I used to hate the switch, like you. Now, I'm convinced it's the best of only bad options. Just look at the history of DST. We've tried it all. We've tried year-round standard time. We've tried year-round DST. We've tried switching at all sorts of different dates. Every system has it's problems and it's advantages. The current system is basically the one that actually pissed people off the least.

> I think you have this backward.

oh, yes, I got that mixed up. That also mean permanent winter time would be better for the sleep not permanent summer times (it was whatever the "standard" time was as far as I remember). Either way people cant decide on what time they prefer makes any change harder.

> I'm convinced it's the best of only bad options.

idk. the time switch every year comes with an increase in traffic accidents for up to a weak after it happens. While most jobs today either aren't overly dependent on sunlight anymore or don't sync up with e.g. start of school or similar anyway (e.g. field work). I guess that argument does differ for any area widely dominated by farming and limited farming automation.

Farmers don’t care what a clock says at all. They start when the sunlight says they can.

It’s never been about farmers and never will be.

to some degree thats my point for most jobs either

- you don't care about the clock but some time relative to sunrise

- aren't dependent on sunlight on your job anymore

- anyway have to head out very early before sunrise (for most of the year)

sure maybe DST does save a small bit of electric bill in some jobs, but thanks to modern light technology it's not really that relevant anymore, on the other hand the reliable increase in traffic accidents every time we switch to summer time does matter.

Now there still is the argument about what is healthier (ignoring the known unhealthy switching times) but there is so much with way stronger effects in modern life (e.g. TVs, bright white LED lamps etc.) that I'm not sure if the effect if even realistically measurable.

PS: on the other hand the affect on sleep might not matter (as in there are many far large effects). I live north enough for the number of sunlight hours and sunrise/set in summer and winter to massively differ, with the sky never getting fully dark during the few longest days.

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