
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995                   TAG: 9504130057
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BUT A STITCH IN TIME SAVES LIVES

Q: Why was the Department of Transportation chosen to administer daylight-saving time as opposed to some other federal department? Can a state legally exempt itself from DST? And although it would be impractical, can a locality within a state legally exempt itself from DST?

M.P., Rocky Mount

A: Daylight-saving time affects transportation more than any other area of our lives.

Softball leagues step up when DST starts, and yard work picks up. Most of us find it harder to get up when dawn moves ahead an hour.

Daylight saving is "a small thing, but it irritates thousands of people in this land." That comment was made by Rep. Harley Staggers Sr., the West Virginian who pushed daylight time into federal law in 1966.

Millions of people don't care; you just want to know what time it is.

DST makes a difference, though.

The Transportation Department says DST saves millions of dollars in accident damage, avoids thousands of injuries and saves hundreds of lives - all because people have an extra hour of daylight for driving.

DST became the Transportation Department's business because it's the keeper of time zones.

That role developed after the government started regulating time for the transcontinental railroad, which couldn't stay on schedule because there were more than 100 local times in the towns along the route.

Can a state exempt itself from DST? Yes. Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii do.

Can a locality exempt itself? In some states yes, but not in Virginia. State law says we travel with the feds in matters of time.|

35 mph is safest

Q: On Virginia 757 in Bedford County, the speed limit is 35 mph from Goodview toward Moneta. If I drive 35, people are always on my bumper because the road is too winding for anyone to pass. If I speed up, I'm afraid I'll get a speeding ticket, and it isn't fair. Why is the speed limit only 35 there?

S.L., Moneta

A: First, you'll never get a ticket for going 35 on that road.

Secondly, People who share your daily commuting experience in the Smith Mountain Lake area know the pressures you're describing.

Engineers at the state Department of Transportation are familiar with Virginia 757, too.

Its curves and alignment are designed for 30 mph, they say. Road designers and state police have reviewed the 35 mph limit and were comfortable that it's the best speed, all factors considered.

Some local residents were not so comfortable, though; they asked that the 35 mph limit be reduced a few years ago.

Widening and straightening a rural route is expensive, so don't count on that in Bedford's grapevine of lake-country roads anytime soon.|

Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.

by CNB