| I doubt many of us will be springing out of bed on | | | | darker evenings in winter cause an extra surge in |
| the morning of Sunday 30 March 2008, when | | | | energy demand, carbon emissions and road |
| we've lost a precious hour's sleep. On the positive | | | | accidents and that we should again trial |
| side, it does signal the beginning of British Summer | | | | year-round BST.It is generally agreed that fewer |
| Time and longer, lighter evenings. | | | | road traffic accidents occur during lighter evenings |
| We've been religiously putting our clocks | | | | but there is an increase in the number of morning |
| backwards and forwards to varying degrees in | | | | accidents caused by darkness. |
| England since 1916. William Willett was the man | | | | Farmers, construction, postal and other outdoor |
| responsible, a businessman and keen horse-rider | | | | workers are traditionally opposed to the idea |
| who had first proposed the idea of British | | | | because of the lack of early morning light.Northern |
| Summer Time in 1907 in a pamphlet entitled 'The | | | | Ireland, Scotland and northern parts of England |
| Waste of Daylight'. | | | | would experience darkness until around 9am if |
| Debate has been raging for most of the last | | | | British Summer Time was retained during the |
| century over whether it should happen at all. Why | | | | winter months. |
| do we do it? And what happens in other parts of | | | | The issue is particularly tricky for international |
| the world? | | | | travellers. Not only do we need to check a |
| Willett had noticed that during summer mornings | | | | country's time zone but also their use of daylight |
| the light was wasted as most people were still | | | | saving. Since 2002 most of the European Union |
| sleeping, and that it would be better utilised in the | | | | change their clocks on the last Sundays of March |
| afternoon by putting the clocks forward. 'Daylight | | | | and October. |
| saving' was in fact common practice in the ancient | | | | North America and most of Canada use a similar |
| world and had been resurrected by American | | | | system but on the second Sunday in March and |
| Benjamin Franklin in a 1784 satire.After | | | | the first Sunday in November. Egypt, Namibia and |
| campaigning for years the British Government | | | | Tunisia are the only African countries who |
| finally adopted the system just after Germany, | | | | observe daylight saving. The countries of South |
| and a year after Willett's death. | | | | America use a variety of systems. Daylight |
| Over the years it has been suggested that Britain | | | | saving is not generally used in Asia but the Middle |
| should stick to British Summer Time all year | | | | Eastern countries observe it to varying |
| round.During the Second World War and the late | | | | degrees.New Zealand and parts of Australia are |
| 1960s experiments took place whereby the | | | | the only countries in Oceania that currently put |
| clocks were not put back in autumn. After much | | | | their clocks forwards and backwards. |
| discussion of the pros and cons the Government | | | | It can all be very confusing. For now we've just |
| decided to revert to the original system. | | | | got to remember that the clocks go forward in |
| A recent environmental report claimed that | | | | 2008 on Sunday 30 March. |