Is British Summer Time Safer for Road Users?

Most people will agree that when the clocks go forward an hour, from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST), the conditions become much more pleasant for pedestrians.

Lighter, brighter evenings can make commuting to school or work on foot feel a lot easier, but is it safer too?

Statistics from the Department of Transport highlight a significant increase in deaths and casualties on the roads in October, November and December, despite lower numbers of people using the roads in these months. Road safety charities, such as ROSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) are pushing for a change to the GMT/BST system, in order to ensure that evenings are lighter.

A consultation paper from the Department of Transport advised that changing the system so that we have lighter evenings would prevent approximately 80 deaths on the roads every year, as well as 212 serious injuries.

Pedestrians, and other road users, are said to be at higher risk of being in an accident in the afternoons and evenings. There are several factors which contribute to higher rates of accidents at these times, including tiredness and lack of concentration after work, and increased social and leisure trips taking place in afternoons and evenings. This combined with dark nights in the winter and adverse weather conditions, explains the significant increase in accidents when the clocks go back.

While there is still an argument that reverting to Greenwich Mean Time in the winter is beneficial for workers who have to rise early, such as those who work in agriculture, the evidence does suggest that the majority of workers would now benefit from more sunlight in the afternoons and evenings, and it could be a move that saves life for many road users.

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