ABILENE, TX – The City of Abilene is reminding citizens to change their clocks and smoke detector batteries as Daylight Saving Time is set to begin Sunday.
Time will “spring forward” one hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, March 14 and will remain on that schedule until it “falls back” an hour on Sunday, November 7.
City officials say it’s a good practice to change the batteries in your smoke detectors the same time you adjust your clocks.
“Smoke detectors save lives, but only if they work properly. Having a working smoke detector can increase your chance of surviving a house fire by more the 53%,” city officials explain. “There should be a detector in every bedroom and maybe in a hallway or living area depending on the size or layout of the home.”
The batteries need to be replaced every 6 months, so it lines up perfectly with the Daylight Saving Time changes.
Daylight Saving Time was originally introduced in the United States after Germany adopted the practice during World War One to use more natural light for battle, allowing them to save fuel and power. It was later abolished federally but created issues for the railroad system as individual states still utilized Daylight Saving Time. The Department of Transportation then was founded to implement Daylight Saving Time nationwide, which is still true today with the exception of Arizona and Hawaii.
Final say on if states are able to abolish Daylight Saving Time remains with the Department of Transportation.
