Lethal Clock Change

[danthered]

      We grumble (especially me) about changing the clocks, and there are many baseless folk explanations for why we do it: farmers/cows, energy savings, etc. Fact is, if we didn't drop back an hour each Autumn, it would allow the pedestrian herd to grow too large

Comments

[come_to_think]

IIRC, when DST was extended during the oil crisis around 1980, one result was that a lot of kids were struck while waiting for school busses. There is only so much daylight available in the winter, and there must be tradeoffs in crude schedule adjustments of this kind.

For an out-of-the-box (i.e., futile) comment see http://come-to-think.livejournal.com/10260.html

[danthered]

That was a popular rallying cry amongst parents reflexively and emotionally opposed to the change, but it's not something that actually happened to anything like a serious degree. The data-linked in my post-clearly show the actual reality of what happens and why; schoolkids waiting for buses are included in the pedestrian category. It's not a trade-off; that implies an even exchange, and this just ain't.

[come_to_think]

I dare say you are right; certainly, that graph is impressive.
I believe the USSR had DST all year round.

[chefxh]

Makes more sense than "schoolchildren waiting in the dark" or "agricultural cycle"...