Daylight Savings Time - Things we can do without

Daylight savings time (DSL) originated with a New Zealand naturalist by the name of George Vernon. He published a couple of papers on it in the late 1800s. His purpose was to extend the number of daylight hours but the general appeal has always been to save on energy. Europe, Russia and the U.S. began using it during WWI and again during WWII. Then in 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, the first nonwartime implementation. However states retain the right to decide for themselves, for example, Arizona does not follow DLS.
Opinion and fact however do not match up. A study in Indiana has shown that DSL actually uses more energry not less. And other studies have shown the switch to daylight savings may lead to more traffic accidents (sleep deprivation), depression (more suicides after the change), and may even increase the risk of heart attack (incidence spikes from 5 to 10 percent the first week after the clock shift forward). All in all it would seem best to leave the clocks alone.

source: Scientific American magazine