Most Americans will turn back their clocks this weekend, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time. But is the time change really necessary?
Daylight Saving became an official American standard in 1966, and was created to conserve energy. Most of Asia, Africa and South America do not observe Daylight Saving.
Quartz writer and economist Allison Schrager spoke to CBSN about an article she wrote on why the US should retire daylight savings and have just two time zones – one hour apart.
Schrager suggests Americans on Eastern Standard Time should set their clocks back one hour (like normal), Americans on Central and Rocky Mountain time do nothing, and Americans on Pacific time should set their clocks forward one hour.
"It would seem to be more efficient to do away with the practice altogether," Schrager wrote. "The actual energy savings are minimal, if they exist at all. Frequent and uncoordinated time changes cause confusion, undermining economic efficiency."
A bill to eliminate Daylight Saving Time in Washington state died in committee last year.
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