Daylight Saving Time: The U.S. 'falls back' an hour on Sunday

Consumer Reports News: November 04, 2011 10:53 AM

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This year, throughout most of the United States, Daylight Saving Time, ends on Sunday Nov. 6, at 2 a.m. (your local time), so treat yourself to an extra hour of sleep after turning back the clocks Saturday night.

At this time of year, we like to remind people to replace batteries in their smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms. It is also a good time to replace any smoke alarm that is 10 years old or more, and any CO alarm five years old or older. You can find the manufacture date on the alarms.

Or, if catching some extra sleep time is of no concern, and you've got that get-up-and-go, 60 minutes is just enough time to tackle a project around the house. For more see While you were sleeping: What some folks do with that extra hour.

And now that it's getting dark earlier, you may also want to check the lights on your car to make sure they are aligned correctly and working properly. In addition to reverting back to "standard time" in the U.S., Nov. 6 also kicks off Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, and lack of sleep can cause dangerous driving situations on the road. For more read: Asleep at the wheel: Study finds motorists admit to drowsy driving.

And although technology has lessened the usual burden of reverting all of our gadgets that require "accurate" time to function properly, for more Daylight Saving Time advice check out: Tips: Surviving the Daylight Saving Time "fall back".

—Maggie Shader