Road-safety alert as the nights draw in

Road-safety warnings have been issued following the clocks going back one hour.

With darker evenings setting in, RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, wants road-users to remember the importance of seeing and being seen.

Tomorrow (Monday 1 November 2010), many people will find themselves travelling home from work in the dark for the first time in months, while children back at school after half-term will also spot the difference.

Cyclists should ensure they can be seen easily and in the dark must, by law, have front and rear lights lit and reflectors fitted.

They are advised to wear brightly-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and reflective clothing or accessories in the dark.

In 2009, there were at least 55 fatal accidents, 237 serious accidents and 562 slight accidents on Britain’s roads in which pedestrians wearing dark clothing at night were among the factors. RoSPA encourages parents to talk to their children about the importance of being seen and that children wear reflective items when they are out and about in the dark.

It urges drivers and motor-cyclists to ensure they keep a proper look-out for vulnerable road-users, not least because failing to look properly is the most frequently-reported factor in accidents on Britain’s roads. They also need to watch their speed, particularly in residential areas and around schools.

RoSPA is campaigning for the UK to switch from Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and British Summer Time in the summer to Single/Double Summer Time, which would bring an extra hour of evening daylight all year round. (GMT+1 in winter and GMT+2 in summer).

Research suggests this would save about 80 lives and prevent about 212 serious injuries on the roads each year. The charity wants MPs to support a Private Members’ Bill about daylight saving which goes to the House of Commons on December 3.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA’s head of road safety, said: “Alongside our ongoing campaign for the UK to move to Single/Double Summer Time, it’s important that we talk about what road users can do to prevent accidents.

“Being visible and looking out for other people might sound simple, but not doing these things costs lives on our roads each year.”