In the late 1940s, the use of daylight saving time, known as fast time, became popular in cities. Indiana is officially in the central time zone, but some communities choose to follow fast time throughout the year, essentially aligning themselves with the Eastern time zone. As a result of the time change, dark mornings have caused an increase in car accidents after Eastern Time was adopted. Mitch Daniels included daylight saving time as part of his economic plan, arguing that Indiana time was bad for the state's economy because companies outside the state couldn't keep track of the time in Indiana.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Brian Bosma, and other key legislative leaders also supported the change, but many legislators strongly opposed it, particularly those in western counties near the border with central time. Lacking enough votes, the city faction tries to obstruct until the session time runs out at midnight, but the majority of the state, the rural champion, uses Eastern Standard Time (EST) during the winter months and Eastern Summer Time (EDT) in the summer months, when daylight saving time is in force. In 1883, major railroads agreed to coordinate their clocks and begin operating on standard time with four established time zones across the country. The only clear consensus that emerges is that most oppose the double time that would result from being in Eastern Standard Time and changing to Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
However, some counties decided to use daylight saving time, causing confusion about what time it was around spring and fall. Some communities and cities may choose not to observe these official time zones and this site does not reflect any such variation. The northwestern time zone boundary covers Lake, Porter, La Porte, Starke, Jasper and Newton Counties. The General Assembly repeals the unpopular law of 1957, but does not attempt to replace it, but is limited to a new ruling by the Interstate Commerce Commission that moves the boundary between the eastern and central time zones of the border between the state of Indiana and Ohio to the center of the state.
However, the law prohibits communities from fasting during the winter months (which many communities used to do). The Department of Transportation is proposing a commitment that most of Indiana would be in Eastern Standard Time all year round, while the Gary and Evansville areas would remain in Central Time and would follow daylight saving time in summer. Some counties near the state's southwest and northwest border use central time, which changes between Central Standard Time (CST) and Central Summer Time (CDT). In 1956, a non-binding state referendum was held, in which voters in the general elections were asked their preference between Eastern and Central Time and whether they should use daylight saving time in the summer months.
Leave Reply