Friday, November 4, 2011

Daylight Saving Time 2011: Why and When Does It End?

The astronomical clock at the center of Prague in the Czech Republic dates back to the 15th century.

Why fall back? Should daylight savings be stopped? Get the facts.

With daylight saving time (also called daylight savings) about to end again, clock confusion is once again ticking away: When exactly does daylight saving time end? Why do we fall back? Does it really save energy? Is it bad for your health? Get expert answers below.

When Does Daylight Savings End in 2011?

For most Americans, daylight saving time 2011 ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 6, 2011, when most states fall back an hour. Time will spring forward to daylight saving time again on Sunday, March 11, 2012, when daylight saving time begins again.

The federal government doesn't require U.S. states or territories to observe daylight saving time, which is why residents of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands won't need to change their clocks this weekend.

Where it is observed, daylight savings has been known to cause some problems.

National surveys by Rasmussen Reports, for example, show that 83 percent of respondents knew when to move their clocks ahead in spring 2010. Twenty-seven percent, though, admitted they'd been an hour early or late at least once in their lives because they hadn't changed their clocks correctly.

It's enough to make you wonder—why do we do use daylight saving time in the first place?