Friday, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow interviewed the author of Spring Forward: the Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time. Most studies show that Daylight Savings time is a wash when it comes to household energy savings. But we use other forms of energy, and Daylight Saving actually increases our use of oil for transportation purposes.

This is because with an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, people make use of it. They go shopping or to sporting events. And since most Americans don’t walk or take public transit to those sorts of destinations, our oil consumption increases. That counters the stated purpose of Daylight Saving, though it also helps retailers, creates livelier neighborhoods, and improves road safety.

In 1895, George Vernon Hudson first proposed Daylight Saving Time, the idea was to make use of an hour of morning daylight which people tended to sleep through. In the modern era, this was thought to save energy by reducing the need for household lighting in the evenings (the lights would not have been on in the mornings because residents were still asleep). Studies by the Department of Transportation and the National Bureau of Standards in the mid-1970s indicated that little impact on energy savings could be seen.

But studies do show that an extra hour of daylight in the evening benefits retail businesses and sporting venues and reduces traffic fatalities.

Since Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, how do you expect an extra hour of evening daylight will affect your habits?

Matt Johnson has lived in the Washington area since 2007. He has a Master’s in Planning from the University of Maryland and a BS in Public Policy from Georgia Tech. He lives in Dupont Circle. He’s a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and is an employee of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. His views are his own and do not represent those of his employer.