Summer time has started, we get light an hour longer
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In the night from Saturday to Sunday we switched to summer time. At 2 a.m. the clock was turned an hour ahead. That means an hour less sleep, but in exchange we get light an hour longer in the evening.
Summer and winter time have been applied in Belgium since 1977. Due to the then economic crisis, the government hoped to save energy with that measure. It was assumed that people can benefit from the daylight longer in the evening and therefore need less electric light. Although that reasoning has already been referred to the trash through many studies, we still use summer and winter time.
Opponents of summer time indicate the disruption of the biorhythm. Moreover, in many countries it also leads to confusion, because not every country switches at the same time, making it a tangle.
According to ViaS Institute, there are also 8 percent more accidents on the roads in the first week after the switch to summer time. Part of the morning rush hour will take place again in the dark next week. In the evening, after the hourly change according to the Traffic Institute, there are 23 percent fewer incidents with injured or fatalities.
In 2018, the European Commission suggested to abolish the difference between summer and winter hours. The Member States did not succeed in agreeing what hour of the two to choose. It was finally decided that every country can choose which « clock » is abolishing.
Summer time runs until Sunday 26 October 2025. Then we switch to winter time again
