Clocks in the UK should be shifted forward by one hour all year round to help reduce the number of road accidents, a safety charity has said.
RoSPA says that under the current system of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and British Summer Time (BST), the move back to GMT in autumn results in a rise in the number of pedestrians killed and seriously injured, with peaks between the hours of 3pm and 5pm.
RoSPA is calling for a move to lighter evenings all year round, with the clocks moving to GMT+1 – the current BST – during winter, and then to GMT+2 in the summer.
RoSPA head of road safety Kevin Clinton said: “We’re calling for a trial period of Single/Double Summer Time, to demonstrate the benefits it would bring.
“When twilight and early-evening darkness occurs during the afternoon school run and rush hour, it creates dangerous conditions.
“Although it can be dark in the morning too, there are many factors that make the afternoon commute more dangerous – drivers, riders and pedestrians are all more tired after a full day, so attention and awareness may not be as high, and children tend to take longer on the walk home from school while they talk to friends, go to do different activities, or take detours.”
