Daylight Saving Time 2017: When Is It Time To Spring Forward?

"Spring ahead, fall back" — you remember the old saying, but will you remember to move your clocks ahead this weekend?

Daylight Saving Time officially starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, so you'll want turn your clocks ahead before you head to bed on Saturday night.

What is Daylight Saving Time? It was adopted in numerous countries as a way of conserving fuel and energy during World War I. During World War II, it got its start in the U.S. — which then dubbed it "War Time." In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which established standard start and end dates for DST, but left it up to individual states to decide which would observe it. Today, some 70 countries and most of the United States still make the switch to DST.

Why do we still have Daylight Saving Time? Well, not all states do, and some are calling for the U.S. to abandon it entirely. Since no federal law requires it, most of Arizona and the entire State of Hawaii don't switch to DST, and neither do U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to name a few.

While DST gives us an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, it initially causes us to lose an hour of sleep. For years, a nationwide movement has called for the end of Daylight Saving Time once and for all.

A website called standardtime.com urges, "If we are saving energy let's go year round with Daylight Saving Time. If we are not saving energy let's drop Daylight Saving Time!" The site adds, "While some people claim that they would miss the late evening light, a presumably similar number of people love the morning light. And projects, postponed during the sun filled summer, will be tackled with new vigor when the sun sets an hour earlier each day."

An online petition to end DST asks, "Please stop the messing with our schedules. It's an antiquated practice that only aggravates people."

Change your batteries

Whether you love or hate it, if you live in Illinois, DST begins Sunday so you'll need to change your clocks. While you're at it, it's a good time to change the batteries on your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.

The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance urges residents to use this weekend as an opportunity to make sure they're protected against fires.

“Installing and maintaining smoke alarms is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your home against fire,” said Philip Zaleski, executive director of the IFSA. “The IFSA encourages the public to make use of 10-year alarms, which cannot be easily switched off. Such alarms are instrumental in preventing tragedies that are seen in the news on a weekly basis."

The IFSA said deaths and injuries can be prevented by simply remembering to change the batteries on your smoke alarm and CO detector.

"Three of every five home fire deaths occurs in a home without a smoke alarm or working smoke alarms, and the vast majority of these deaths are due to dead or missing batteries," the IFSA said. "People frequently do not remember to rotate the batteries in their smoke alarms, or disconnect the alarms to silence annoying chirps. The result is a home that is defenseless against fire."

Smoke alarms should be installed inside and outside of each bedroom, sleeping area, and on every level of a home, and they should be tested monthly. If a smoke alarm chirps, the battery should immediately be replaced. Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years with new units.

IFSA smoke & CO alarm tips:

• Test alarms at least once a month by using the test button.
• Check the batteries every six months, and if applicable, change them as well: If a battery is starting to lose its power, the unit will usually chirp to warn you. Do NOT disable the unit.
• When possible, outfit your home with alarms equipped with sealed-in, 10-year lithium batteries that last the lifetime of the devices - to provide a decade of 24/7 fire safety protection without the risk of dead or missing batteries.
• Vacuum or blow out any dust that might accumulate in the unit.
• NEVER borrow a battery from an alarm to use somewhere else.
• NEVER paint a smoke or CO alarm.
• Install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home, including the basement, in every bedroom and near every sleeping area.
• Smoke alarm should not be installed near a window because drafts could interfere with their operation.
• Smoke alarms should be completely replaced every ten years.
• Families should also develop and practice a home fire escape plan.

Photo via Shutterstock