(Thu 23 Mar 06)

Safety organisation, RoSPA, is urging the House of Lords to support a three-year time trial to bring lighter evenings all year round in order to bring down the number of deaths and serious injuring on the roads.

The Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill proposes that in England clocks should stay one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in the winter, and two hours ahead in the summer. Other countries within the UK would make their own decision on whether to join the experiment which would run from October 2006 for three years.

The RoSPA is supporting the bill because of the rate in which road casualties increase after the clocks are moved back each year, with the arrival of darker evenings and worsening weather. In 2004, road deaths rose from 269 in October to 300 in November and to 323 in December. Pedestrian deaths went up from 56 in October to 76 the following month and 78 in December.

Even though the new proposal would result in darker mornings, the RoSPA feels the extra hour of evening daylight would be benefical. A report commissioned by the Government showed that this would lead to around 450 fewer deaths and serious injuries each year.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: "We urge the Lords to support the scheme for lighter evenings all-year-round and hope the proposal will win Government backing as well.  Studies show that vulnerable road users such as children and the elderly are more at risk during dark evenings than in the morning.

"RoSPA believes a three-year time trial will prove the safety case and help to crystallize opinion on other issues surrounding changing the clocks."

06/03/06 News: Road Deaths Second To AIDS
David Finlay Column: Leave Our Clocks Alone!

Previous: Most Used Cars Have Accidents                                                 Next: First Atlas For Disabled Travellers

Back to News index