Daylight Savings Time 2015: When is it, how is it stopping crime, and why do states want it eliminated?

If Halloween night feels a little long this year it won't be because of a witch's curse, though some trick-or-treaters wish it was.

Daylight Savings Time lands on Sunday, Nov. 1 this fall, meaning you'll get an extra hour of shuteye ahead of the work week; time will "fall back" at 2 a.m. late Saturday night as part of a long-held tradition dating back to World War I and, later, the 1966 Uniform Time Act. Back then, DST was used as a cost-saving measure that limited coal consumption and helped outdoor workers - like farmers - get more done during the day.

Many refute the claims as a commercialized way of consuming more energy, but a recent study conducted by the MIT Press Journal shows DST has a new benefit: crime fighting.

"When (Daylight Saving Time) begins in the spring, robbery rates for the entire day fall an average of seven percent, with a much larger 27 percent drop during the evening hour that gained some extra sunlight," study authors Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders wrote in "The Review of Economics and Statistics."

They added, "We feel safer when we're walking in the daylight...Offenders know they're more likely to be recognized and get caught if they're fully visible."

While some researchers claim DST hurts the economy, Doleac and Sanders claim it saved $59 million in social costs by reducing the number of evening robberies, which they found to generally occur between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Their analysis took into account day of the week, time, weather, and crime levels. Two statistical techniques used revealed a 20 percent decrease in the robbery rate during sunset hours.

The research counters studies that have linked DST to health problems, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents. Lawmakers in Washington, Arizona, and Hawaii have introduced legislation that would eliminate the bi-annual event altogether. Last February, Idaho House Majority Leader Mike Moyle called DST a "disruption to families, businesses, and individuals."

Utah is the latest state to voice its opposition. Rep. Fred Cox is drafting a bill that would exempt the Beehive State from participating, basing his decision on a statewide study and backing from 58 percent of his constituents.

"I don't even know if I'll have to do that much," Cox told the local FOX affiliate. "There's enough vocal people that want to get rid of Daylight Saving Time, they'll do it."