Time to Fall Back – Set Your Clocks Back One Hour This Weekend

It’s time to fall back.

Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend and we move back to Eastern Standard Time beginning at 2a Sunday morning.

However, if Georgia lawmakers have their way, we might one day remain on Daylight Saving Time all year ‘round.

In August, Governor Brian Kemp signed HB100 into law that would allow Georgia to stay on DST but even though he signed the bill, it would require approval from Congress to enact.

Cherokee County Rep. Wes Cantrell-R, who sponsored the bill, said the keeping daylight saving time would result in fewer car accidents and curb crime.

But until Congress allows states to switch to one seasonal time change, the new law goes nowhere.

So, before going to bed Saturday night, you will still need to set your clocks back one hour, as you do every year.

The good news is that falling back one hour means the sun will rise a little earlier, and you’ll gain an extra of sleep Saturday night.

But the bad news is that for the next several months, it will be dark by 5p until the days begin to get longer after the first of the year.

Setting your clocks back an hour is also a good time to do a home safety check, including checking the batteries in your smoke detector and making sure your smoke alarm is working properly.

Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King says this is also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke alarms.

Smoke alarm batteries can be the difference between life and death for Georgians.

This was highlighted he said in 2020 when 55 of 58 fatal fires in Georgia could have been prevented if Georgians had changed their batteries.

King said that translates to 95% of all fire fatalities being preventable by simple maintenance.

Additionally, if you need help checking your smoke detector, you can contact your local fire department and they will send someone out to help you.

King said this weekend is also a good time to discuss an escape plan with your family.

He said families should develop and regularly rehearse an escape plan with all members in the house so that when the smoke alarm sounds, everyone will move to a safe location outside the home.

And if you need to buy a new smoke detector and are unsure about what kind to buy you can go online to https://oci.georgia.gov/safety-fire-education/smoke-alarms.