Is it better to leave on or turn off external hard drive?

Okay here is my situation, I have a 1tb internal hard drive that is plugged in via USB Dock, and has external power, that I use for weekly backups, but my question is, is it better to leave this hard drive on all the time, or turn it it off manually when it is not being used? What is the best case scenario?

Solution 1:

Turn it off, so the data are less likely to be damaged if you accidentally knock it down. By the way, Debra suggestion on don't move is valid, but aging is actually irrelevant. On modern day electronics. They just have a "designed" life, no matter you used it or not. idea: the drying contacts ink, electronic conduct rubber.