This week, we begin our spring ritual of waking up an hour earlier, as our clocks “spring forward.” While providing a minor inconvenience for most of the country, this annual time change can be devastating for Hoosiers, as witnessed by our newly darkened mornings, caused by our continued misplacement in a time zone whose geographic center runs just this side of Vermont.
First, let me offer a little background. Indiana observed Central Time for the better part of a century, until the old Interstate Commerce Commission moved most of the state to Eastern Time during the 1960s. After two years of Eastern Daylight Time (our current dark-mornings/sunny-nights schedule), the state legislature voted in 1971 to stop observing Daylight Saving Time, so that school children would be safer in the mornings through most of the school year. This decision led to 35 years of Eastern Time in the winter, and Central Time (or Chicago time) during the other eight months. Seven years ago, Indiana began observing DST again, only without taking the logical accompanying step of returning to our geographically and historically correct time zone.
The consequences of our seemingly perpetually dark mornings are shocking. On Feb. 13 at 7:05 a.m. (Eastern Time), eight-year-old Jared Philbeck was hit by a car while crossing busy US Highway 27 in Union County. He died the following afternoon, which was Valentine’s Day. On Central Time, it would have been daylight at 7:05 a.m, and this tragedy could possibly have been prevented. In October of 2011, a New Castle boy was killed by his own teacher while walking to school in pitch-black darkness. Many such accidents have occurred since Indiana was moved to Eastern Time, but their regularity has increased substantially since our return to DST seven years ago. What kind of society are we that we allow our youngest and most vulnerable population to cross busy streets in the dark? We would never allow our grandparents to do so, yet we place our children in harm’s way throughout most of the school year.
Some school districts have attempted to remedy this problem by pushing back the beginning of the school day until 8:30 or 9. While this sounds great on paper, many parents simply must be at work by 8. The only logical solution to this problem is for Indiana to return to the Central Time Zone. This simple step would squeeze the typical 7.5-hour school day into the available nine hours of winter sunlight. Students would no longer be forced to wait for buses or walk to school in the pitch-black darkness of our misplacement in the Eastern Time Zone. Parents would no longer be forced to try to put young ones to bed during our abnormally light spring evenings.
The observance of Eastern Time is also detrimental to our businesses. In 2012, Zimmer Industries, Warsaw’s largest employer, moved its distribution center (and 350 Hoosier jobs) to Tennessee because their CEO was tired of waiting for Indiana to move to the Central Time Zone. Zimmer needs its distribution center in the Central Time Zone to “better serve their West Coast customers.” Lord knows how many other companies have moved out of state (or chosen not to move to Indiana at all) because of our incorrect time zone situation. We’re supposed to be a “logistics hub.” Let’s correct our time zone so we can be!
Holiday World’s situation is representative of businesses with the unfortunate hassle of being located near the seemingly random dividing line. The nearest hotels and restaurants to the Holiday World theme park are located in nearby Jasper. Unfortunately, Holiday World is located in the part of Indiana which already observes Central Time. Jasper is still on Eastern Time. Therefore, if park patrons stay until close, by the time they find their cars and drive back to Jasper, all the restaurants and hotel bars are closed, since Jasper is an hour ahead of Holiday World. Similar situations occur in Northern Indiana. In fact, several school districts serve students from both time zones. This results in missed meetings and extra-curricular activities, as well as parents’ work schedules
out-of-sync with those of their children.
I’m a businessman. I know. If you want to upset any Hoosier businessman, just mention Indiana’s time zone. Businessmen hate the fact that we must wait until almost lunchtime to conduct business with the West Coast. The old 1960’s argument that we must align our clocks with those of Wall Street and the New York banks simply doesn’t wash anymore in today’s digital society. Furthermore, business associates in other states simply assume we are on Central Time because of our geographic location. The Indiana Farm Bureau has (just this year) signed a petition to restore Central Time to all of Indiana, as farmers prefer to begin their workdays early, so they can have their evenings free for meetings and after-school activities.
Fortunately, legislation is being introduced this week in the Indiana House to form a summer study committee to examine the pros and cons of requesting the USDOT place all of Indiana back in the Central Time Zone. I urge you to e-mail your representative immediately and ask that he or she support this important effort.