Should we stop clocks going back?

[WarmFunKindStrong]

This practice is outdated, no longer needed (farmers have lights on their farming equipment etc). The country would reduce energy costs as we would not need to turn on the lights so soon in the evening.

AIBU to want to the UK to choose a time and stick with it?

Yes and farmers/large animal keepers have to do jobs at one end of the day in the dark and I’d rather have light at the end of the day!

Putting back the clocks triggers episodes of depression in some people.

Yes the clocks need to go back. If the don't go back on Sunday kids in my area would be going to school in the dark at 8am or earlier if the get buses etc. Its not just about farmers.

But surely they come home in the dark? Why does it matter if it's morning or afternoon?

No way.
It's hard enough getting up in the pitch black as it is, everything tells you that you should still be asleep, why do people want to make it worse so it's dark till 9am.
What a depressing thought!!!

No I love the dark evenings! Don't want my kids walking to school in darkness, they are home by 3.40pm so still light when they leave school. Nice long cosy evenings .

You mean England don't you OP, you clearly don't live in the North of Scotland!

Even if my kids do extracurricular they still come home before it gets dark, by 4.40pm.

Definitely not.

in mid December it isn’t light till nearly 9am.
That’s bad enough without making it nearly 10am.

maybe we should just stay on GMT all year round.

My DC get home at around 3.45, before it gets dark. If they clocks didn't go back then it wouldn't get light here until around 9.30 so they'd be walking to school in the dark. There is more to the UK than just the South of England.

The country would reduce energy costs as we would not need to turn on the lights so soon in the evening

You'd just have them on in the morning instead.

Or even the North of England! I was starting to go to work in the dark (school) before half term. In my rural area many school students are leaving to get school buses by 7.30 am too

I’m in the north of England and I’d rather have lighter evenings because at least you can go outside. Light mornings are a waste, my children are home in the almost dark when the clocks change

My lights are on in the morning now (without clocks going back). It would save turning lights on at home in the evening, as in the morning for many people (not all) are getting up to go out in mornings.

Won't school children at some point will going to/from school (in the dark) in December?

I said the UK because I am aware there are other places than than England (🙂) so thank you for making me aware of the issues not putting clocks back might have in other parts of the UK. Is there any solutions that could mitigate?

No, it would be far too dark in the mornings

My DD leaves school at 3pm so whilst it might be getting a little more towards dusk at 3.30 when she’s home it’s far from dark.

I think they should go back but then not change for summer.

Didn’t they test this in the seventies for a few years and accidents with kids rose dramatically as a direct link, as it was dark when kids went to school, were tired and not as aware as they would be later in the day?

It ends up dark going to school and back anyway. I'd rather have the hour of extra light in the evening so children can have more outdoors activity.

When we had that November lockdown in 2020, I tried taking the DCs to parks after school to fill the hole of their banned activities/ sports. By the time I'd picked them up and gone to a park with all-weather paths, there was little light left. By the last week of November, we gave up because it was too dark by the time we got anywhere. An extra hour would be valuable at that time of day as the reality is that going to school is pretty dark on all but the clearest of days, and you're certainly waking in the dark past mid-Nov anyway.

Young children don't walk themselves to school these days anyway and lighting, especially on vehicles is much better. The safety situation is far different to the 1970s. More children walk home than walk to school.

At least it’s getting lighter tho? Rather than getting darker when they’re coming home?

I’ve just changed my mind seeing your post.

Young children don't walk themselves to school these days anyway and lighting, especially on vehicles is much better. The safety situation is far different to the 1970s. More children walk home than walk to school.

At all three schools attended by my DC the vast majority of children walk to school, even the ones who do get driven or get the school bus don't get driven to the gates, they do park and stride.

Morning drop-off coincides with morning rush hour and the roads are far busier at morning drop off time than they are at 3/3.30pm, its better to be light in the morning than in the evening.

No, I much prefer some extra light in the mornings. Makes it easier to get up and get on with the day. Who wants to be fumbling around in the dark waiting forever for it to get light?! Rather have it darker at the end of the day when you're winding down anyway.

There is also research that supports light in the morning being better for mental and cognitive health.

Didnt take long for some people to start wittering on about "cosy" evenings. Probably snuggled up on the sofa with their blankie and hot choccy. 🙄

I would imagine that farmers couldn't give two hoots about the clocks going back/forwards, they use the hours of daylight in the best way they can, whether it's January or June. Not putting the clocks back would just mean they shift when they work.

However kids going to school is a very different matter. In Scotland in December it's pitch dark at 8.30, only getting a bit light by 9. And this is central belt, further north it's worse. If we didn't shift the clocks, children would be going to school in the morning rush hour when it is pitch dark and all the commuters are going to work. Finishing school at 3pm or 4pm when it's getting dark isn't so much of an issue as that's not rush hour traffic. It's still busy, but not as busy.

It makes no odds to me, this period from the clocks going back to the solstice is profoundly depressing, dark and dreary. Roll on January.