Daylight Saving Time 2018: When Do Clocks Change in the U.S.?

People from certain parts of the United States lost an hour of sleep this month. Now that the second weekend of March is finally here, people from the U.S. had to set their clocks back last Sunday as they began to observe daylight saving time.

Residents across the U.S. observed the official change of time starting 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 11, when the clocks sprang ahead to 3 a.m. When the clock struck 2 a.m. on Sunday, people across the country had to change their clocks or their clocks would have automatically changed Sunday morning.

Today, Hawaii and Arizona are the only two states in the country that do not observe daylight saving time, so people living in these places do not change their clocks. Aside from the two states, American territories like Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands also do not observe daylight saving time.

Daylight saving time was first introduced in 1966 as part of the Uniform Time Act. According to the United States Department of Transportation, the purpose of the act at the time was basically to preserve the daylight, as well as reduce energy use and prevent traffic injuries. When locals move their clocks ahead an hour, they take an hour of daylight from the early morning hours and move it to the end of the day. When their clocks spring forward, the sun rises later in the morning and sets later in the day.

Daylight saving time will end on Nov. 4 at 2 a.m. local time. When that time arrives, people across America should adjust their clocks back by one hour.

Although the DOT says that daylight saving time helps reduce energy and prevent traffic, some argue that its effect is actually different. In fact, legislators from certain states are already planning to eliminate the practice in their respective territories.