Don’t fall back, it’s time to spring forward

More than just a nuisance, the daylight saving time law may actually be life threatening.

Local state representative Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) proposed a bill to have daylight saving time eliminated due to accidents and heart attacks occurring the day after times change.

Irwin’s bill would direct Michigan to instead adhere to the time zone in which it is located in, as called for by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

“I feel like the bill should be passed because it was causing people to have heart attacks and caused car accidents,” eighth grader Brandon Hamilton said. “It shouldn’t be affecting someone’s life to that extent.”

According to Time and Date, an online and time tracker, traffic accidents, heart attacks and sleep problems increase within three days after the time change. This happens because the switch interferes with the body’s natural clock.

“I get quite a few sleeping problems when we spring forward,” senior Sean Crippen said. “It takes more time to fall asleep and it’s harder to wake up.”

Local businesses rely on daylight saving time, and for small businesses like restaurant and coffee shop Cravingz, this means better business.

“People are getting more cheery, but a lot of people were running late,” Cravingz employee Suzane Stahl said. “We are getting more traffic now, and afternoon coffee goes up.”