Did You Turn Clocks Back NoVA, DC? Daylight Saving Time Ends

WASHINGTON, DC — We fell back overnight, northern Virginia, did you set your old-school clocks back before you went to bed to mark the end of Daylight Saving Time? Of course, the change is automatic for most smartphones, computers, tablets and other digital devices.

Nov. 1 is the earliest date possible for the end of Daylight Saving Time, which officially occurred at 2 a.m. during normal sleeping hours. But let’s be real — there’s nothing normal about 2020 or the sleep schedules many of us are keeping, and that has reinvigorated the argument that Congress should make the switch back to standard time permanent.

Mental health experts warn that pandemic restrictions and job loss already are metaphorically plunging America into darkness — a mental health disaster unseen in our lifetimes.

In a mid-July KFF Tacking Poll, 53 percent U.S. adults said their mental health had been negatively affected due to worry and stress over the pandemic, a jump of more than 20 points from March, when the national mental health advocacy nonprofit added the question to polling.

The poll revealed some other mental health red flags: 36 percent had difficulty sleeping; 32 percent had difficulty eating; 12 percent increased their use of alcohol or drugs; and 12 percent said chronic conditions had worsened due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.

Winter depression is real, even without a pandemic. The days will continue to get shorter as we move toward the winter solstice on Dec. 21; and falling back to standard time makes the change more abrupt, triggering for many seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a type of depression that occurs during the late fall and early winter.

The pandemic has energized a movement to make daylight saving time permanent. Several states have passed legislation to do away with the twice-a-year time switch, but these laws can’t take effect until there’s change in the federal statute. The13 states where legislatures have approved bills favoring year-round DST are Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

California's voters authorized year-round DST in 2018, but action on the referendum is still pending in their state Legislature.

Lawmakers in the District of Columbia and Virginia did not address the issue this year.

Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott cited studies from the American Journal of Public Health, the Brookings Institution and the U.S. Department of Energy in their proposal last month to keep the United States on DST through Nov. 7, 2021.

The good news for the early risers is sunrise will be about an hour earlier and there will be more light in the mornings, but it also means sunset will be around 5 p.m., depending on your location. The daylight will dwindle over the next two months as we head into winter.

Tips for Drivers, Pedestrians

The end to Daylight Saving Time means drivers should be prepared for sun glare during their morning commute, and again in the late afternoon, said AAA Mid-Atlantic.

AAA Night-Time Driving Tips For Motorists

• Keep headlights, tail lights, signal lights, and windows (inside and out) clean.
• Have your headlights properly aimed. If not properly aimed, headlights will blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see the road.
• When in doubt, turn your headlights on. Lights will not help you see better in early twilight, but they'll make it easier for other drivers to see you.
• Reduce your speed and increase your following distances. It is more difficult to judge other vehicles' speeds and distances at night.
• When following another vehicle, keep your headlights on low beams so you don't blind the driver ahead of you.
• If an oncoming vehicle doesn't lower beams from high to low, avoid glare by watching the right edge of the road and using it as a steering guide.

AAA Pedestrian Safety Tips

• Cross only at intersections or crosswalks and not in the middle of the street or between parked cars.
• Stop at the curb and look left, right, and left again before you step into the street. Evaluate the distance and speed of oncoming traffic before you step out into the street.
• Avoid walking in traffic where there are no sidewalks or crosswalks. If you have to walk on a road that does not have sidewalks, walk facing traffic.
• Wear bright colors or reflective clothing if you are walking near traffic at night. Carry a flashlight when walking in the dark.
• Do not let umbrellas or jacket hoods block your view of approaching traffic.
• While walking, pocket the cell phone and turn down your music player so you can hear approaching vehicles.