Are You Ready to Change Your Car Clock to Daylight Saving Time?

- New research shows that for many luxury vehicle owners in the U.S., it takes an owner's manual to figure out how to set the clock in your car.

- Lincoln Zephyr's classic analog clock takes away some of the mystery and is just one example of easy-to-use technologies and features offered by Lincoln.

- This is the last season the U.S. will use the current method of Daylight Saving Time. Beginning in 2007, Americans will 'spring forward' three weeks earlier and 'fall back' one week later.

DEARBORN, Mich., March 22 -- Get ready to spring forward one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 2 -- the last time America will begin Daylight Saving Time (DST) in April.

How and when do you reset your clocks -- and what does that say about your attitudes toward technology? A new study from Lincoln shows that while consumers may be tech savvy at home, many still need to refer to the owner's manual to figure out how to set the clock in their vehicle.

"Easy-to-use technology can make the difference between frustration behind the wheel, and a truly enjoyable driving experience," says Lincoln Brand Manager Tom Grill. "The technologies featured in the new Lincoln Zephyr are designed with luxury and simplicity in mind -- from the advanced DVD-based navigation system to the segment-exclusive keyless entry keypad and classic analog clock."

In a recent survey of luxury vehicle owners in the U.S. conducted by Harris Interactive(R) for Lincoln, more than half (57 percent) indicated they like to know "just enough" about specific technologies to make them work while 35 percent say they like to know everything there is to know about a feature. Only 8 percent said they don't care how things work, as long as they work. Yet, 62 percent of all luxury vehicle owners say they used the owner's manual to figure out how to reset the clock when it is part of their vehicle's audio system. When the vehicle's clock is separate from the radio, 48 percent admit to reaching for the manual. To reset the classic analog clock on the Lincoln Zephyr, consumers need only press the plus or minus key located just under the clock.

  Ready, Set ... Spring Forward!

  The survey also found that:

  - Most luxury vehicle owners polled said they're the ones in the household
    to change the alarm clocks (93 percent), wall clocks (92 percent), and
    clocks on home appliances (94 percent).

  - Males (93 percent) are more likely than females (79 percent) to change
    the clock on home electronics themselves.

  - Those who are 50 or older are more likely to change their home clocks
    before going to bed.

  - 55 percent reset their alarm clocks/clock radios the night before
    Daylight Saving Time. 43 percent say they do it the day of the time
    change.

  - 2 percent or less say they don't bother changing the time at all on
    their wall clocks, alarm clocks and home appliances; 3 percent don't
    change the time on home electronics.

  - 57 percent say they reach for the owner's manual to figure out how to
    change the clocks in their vehicles -- including 54 percent of males and
    61 percent of females.

"Overall, whether they're tech savvy or not, our Lincoln customers are looking for vehicles that reward their hard work with great road manners, luxurious comfort and easy-to-use, must-have technologies," says Grill. "Judging by its strong sales performance, the Zephyr is already doing a great job delivering on that promise."

A Brief History of Daylight Saving Time

In mid-June, the sun rises at 4:24 a.m. in New York City, 4:16 a.m. in Chicago and 4:11 a.m. in Seattle -- offering a little too much light for many sleepers. An analysis of energy savings shows that 25 percent of electricity in the home is used for lighting and personal items like TVs, radios and appliances. Each day of Daylight Saving Time promises a 1 percent drop in electricity usage.

While America has debated the merits of Daylight Saving Time for decades, it continues to be a source of fascination and confusion for many. Most Americans associate DST with farmers. In fact, the clock change was first championed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, led by metropolitan department stores.

"It was all about leisure shopping," says Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time. "Daylight Saving was adopted to make more daylight available after work as folks walked to their homes -- to give them a better look at what was for sale."

First passed into law during World War I, DST was quickly repealed by Congress because of its negative impact on farmers, who ended up losing an hour of morning light -- which meant less time to get their crops to market. President Franklin Roosevelt re-instated DST during WWII to conserve energy. After the war, some areas in the U.S. observed it, while others did not -- creating chaos in train and airline schedules. Why turn back the clock at 2 a.m.? According to Downing, this was originally done to accommodate the railroads. The fewest number of trains were on the track at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

In 1966, the issue resurfaced as President Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, an attempt to coordinate clocks in all 50 states. The energy crisis of 1973 saw President Nixon signing the Daylight Saving Time Energy Act to give us year-round DST -- a change the country almost immediately rejected. Since 1986, most Americans have been springing forward on the first Sunday of April in order to save an hour of daylight, only to fall back an hour during the last Sunday in October. With Indiana recently joining the DST ranks, Arizona and Hawaii remain the only non-observers.

Now, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is stirring up more discussion as Daylight Saving Time will be extended by one month, beginning March 11, 2007. Downing notes that the change will be just another milestone in a long history that shows how little control we actually have over time.

About the Survey

Harris Interactive(R) conducted the online survey on behalf of Lincoln between March 7 and 13, 2006 among 503 U.S., adults aged 18 and over who own a luxury vehicle. Figures for age by sex, education, race/ethnicity, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. This online sample is not a probability sample.

About Lincoln

Lincoln is a brand of the Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., which manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com/.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll(R) and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the Company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.

Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in Paris, France (http://www.novatris.com/), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies.