SALT LAKE CITY — Kids will walk to school in the dark and most morning commutes in the winter will be under streetlights if Utah moves to permanent Daylight Saving Time.
While legislation which passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate earlier this week will make for longer daylight hours in the evening, Utahns should be prepared to wait longer to see the sun rise during winter months.
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Any permanent change won't be made until 2023, but if there was no move off Daylight Saving Time this year, sunrise in Salt Lake City wouldn't occur before 8 a.m. from the start of November through February; with the sun rising above the horizon as late as 8:51 a.m. for two weeks around the beginning of the year.
A sunrise near 9 a.m. would mean many Utah residents with regular daytime work hours would punch in with the Earth's nearest star having just awoken over the Wasatch Mountains. And with the permanent change, children would never see the sun on their way to school, no matter their grade.
Of course, things could be worse. They could always be worse.
Boise would experience sunrises at 9:18 a.m., while the sun would peek over the Indianapolis skyline at 9:05 a.m.
One of the reasons often given by those who support the permanent move to Daylight Saving Time is that it would provide more daylight for evening commutes, thereby cutting down the amount of vehicle accidents. However, the number of incidents may increase on the morning side of the clock if the sun remains hidden.
