Daylight Saving Time Has Unexpected Home Security Benefits – It’s Going Viral in 2026

Among increasing troubles such as sleep disturbancesthere is one good news at the beginning of the year summer time. If you jump ahead an hour, the evenings will become brighter, and this directly affects the number of break-ins. After spring and summer, burglary rates begin to drop, especially in more temperate climates. give your home safety technology a break.

This may seem puzzling at first. Our conversations with forensic scientists have shown that many burglars prefer to attack houses in the middle of the day, when they are more confident that the house will be empty. But many burglars still like to wait until dark, and research has shown that daylight saving time has a significant impact on their behavior.

Studies such as this one by Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders (PDF) have shown (even after controlling for other factors) that an extra hour of daylight leads to a reduction in crimes such as robberies, which drop by as much as 27% during sunset hours, saving about $246 million annually in social crime. This also applies to reported crimes such as murder and rape, which drop significantly as the evening progresses, with reports of murder increasing by 48% and rape by 56%.

Although the researchers note that “people discover a burglary upon returning home or a stolen car the next morning but have no idea what time of day the burglary occurred,” this trend appears to apply to all spontaneous crimes, which is where most break-ins fall.

The opposite is even more noticeable in the case of domestic crimes. When home security company Vivint compared crime rates, it found that burglaries and related crimes rose 16% when Daylight Saving Time ended in the fall.

So while setting our clocks forward and back can be challenging, keep in mind that Daylight Saving Time in March helps keep you and your home safe. There are also indications that bright street lights may have a similar effect, helping to reduce thefts of all types. It turns out that people prefer darkness when they’re in a stealing mood, and a brighter atmosphere makes them less likely to act out.

Heat may also play a role

While increased daylight hours tend to reduce property crime, temperature may have the opposite effect. Unseasonably warm winters and hot summers tend to increase the incidence of certain types of crimes, such as burglaries. Much of this growth is driven by new opportunities: People are leaving their windows and garages open more often, going on vacation more often, and moving around more. In northern states, the lack of snow and ice also makes property crimes easier. So be careful when making warm weather plans and use my guide to preparing your home for the holidays.

To add a little more light to your home, check out our selection of the best CCTV cameras with floodlights for a similar effect. Check out our list of tips for deterring burglars to learn even more.