Daylight saving time is the source of a lot of hot takes. Whether you’re for or against the practices of springing forward and falling back, the changing of clocks has repercussions that go far beyond losing or gaining an hour of sleep.
The spring DST change means we lose an hour of sleep but gain daylight at the end of the day. With it, according to research, comes a lowered risk of crime, including home break-ins and burglaries.
Why do thieves back down? As our conversations with criminologists has shown, many burglars 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, and DST has a significant impact on their choices.
Studies such as this research from Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders have shown (even with other factors accounted for) the extra hour of daylight leads to a decrease in crimes such as robberies, which fall by as much as 27% during the sunset hours to save around $246 million in social crime costs each year. That also applies to reported crimes such as murder and rape, which fall significantly as the evening brightens — murder reports by as much 48% and rape by 56%.
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.
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.
