RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
October 22, 2003
RoSPA CALLS FOR TIME TRIAL TO SAVE LIVES
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today called on the Government to stop the current system for changing clocks and to try a new method that could save 450 deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s road each year.
As people prepare to change their clocks this weekend, RoSPA asked for at least a two-year trial for its plan, which would give lighter evenings all-year-round.
Road casualty rates increase after the clocks are moved, with the arrival of darker evenings and worsening weather conditions. Last year the number of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries rose from 759 in October to 851 in November, an increase of 92. Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable at this time of year.
The RoSPA plan is for Single/Double Summertime. Rather than reverting to Greenwich Mean Time in October, the clocks would stay one-hour ahead until spring when they would be put forward another hour in March. This would result in darker mornings, but an extra hour of evening daylight throughout the year. Once the initial adjustments had been made the clocks would still be moved backwards and forwards by an hour in autumn and spring, but would always stay ahead of GMT.
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: “Studies show that vulnerable road users such as children and the elderly are more at risk during dark evenings than in the morning. For instance, children will go directly to school in the mornings, whereas after lessons they tend to hang around or go to visit relatives or the shops, leaving them at risk on the road for longer periods.
“A trial of at least two years using modern evaluation methods and data collection will give us accurate figures on the benefits in terms of reducing road accidents. It would also help to crystallize opinion on the other issues surrounding changing clocks, including bringing us in line with Europe.”
A trial of having GMT plus one hour all year was held from 1968 to 1971, which showed a saving of about 2,500 deaths and serious injuries for each year of the experiment. Despite this, the House of Commons voted against change.
“Things have changed greatly since then,” Kevin Clinton said. “But we think that in the interests of road safety it is now time to conduct a further trial because we believe our proposals would save 450 deaths and serious injuries each year.”
RoSPA’s report on Single/Double British Summertime can be found in the road safety section of www.rospa.com - see road safety general information.
