Daylight Saving Time Benefits You and Your Home in a Surprising Way

Daylight saving time is near -- March 9 if your state participates -- and we prepare to spring forward with all the clock adjusting that requires. While we may lose an hour of sleep, entering DST does come with advantages, like an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day -- and a lower risk of burglaries.

Why do the thieves back down? As our work with criminologists has shown, many burglars actually prefer to strike homes in the middle of the day, when they're more confident the house will be empty. But plenty of burglars still like to wait for the cover of darkness to sneak around. But daylight savings time has a significant impact on their choices.

Studies like this research from Jennifer L. Doleac and Nicholas J. Sanders have shown, even with other factors accounted for, the extra hour of daylight leads to a decrease in crimes such as robberies. That also applies to reported crimes such as murder and rape, which fall significantly as the evening brightens. While researchers noted that "Individuals discover a burglary upon returning home, or a stolen car on the following morning, but have no idea what time during the day the burglary occurred," the trend appears to apply to all spur-of-the-moment crimes -- which most break-ins fall under.

The reverse is even more noticeable for home crime. When home security company Vivint compared crime rates, it found that home burglaries and related crimes jumped 16% when daylight savings time ended in the fall.

Blink offers a cheap option for a smart floodlight cam.

Blink

So while jumping our clocks backward and forward can be a pain, keep in mind that March's DST shift is helping to keep you and your home safer. There are also signs that bright streetlights can have a similar effect, helping to cut down on all kinds of theft. It turns out people prefer the dark when they get in a stealing mood and a brighter atmosphere makes them less likely to act out.

Although we don't suggest trying to install your own personal street lamps on a public road, you should stop by our picks for the best security cameras with floodlights for a similar effect. Look up our full list of tips to deter burglars to learn even more.