 |
|
||||||||||||||||
British Summertime FactsheetAlso available for download in PDF format (245kb) Lighter EveningsIn the UK, clocks follow Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from October to March and British Summer Time (BST) which is GMT + 1 hour from March to October. Most of Europe follows Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of GMT in winter and 2 hours ahead of GMT in summer - always one hour ahead of the UK. One of the consequences of the UK’s system is that more people are killed and injured on the road because of darker evenings in the autumn and winter than would be if we adopted Single/Double British Summertime (SDST). Changing to SDST would mean that during winter, time would be GMT + 1 hour and during summer, time would be GMT + 2 hours. This would create lighter evenings all year round and result in fewer people being killed and injured in road accidents. It would also bring significant environmental, economic and health benefits, the latter being particularly relevant to the concerns about obesity and public health. This change would also put Britain into the Central European Time Zone. The Road Safety ProblemDuring the week, casualty rates peak at 8am and 5pm for adults and 8am and 3.30pm for children, with the afternoon peak being higher for both. Road casualty rates increase with the arrival of darker evenings and worsening weather conditions. Every Autumn when the clocks go back and sunset occurs earlier in the day, road casualties and the casualty rate rise. The effects are worse for the most vulnerable road users. In 2008, pedestrian deaths rose from 38 in September, to 55 in October, 62 in November and 56 in December. Child road deaths rose from 7 in September to 18 in October, 12 in November and 9 in December. A National Audit Office report, “Improving Road Safety for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Great Britain” published in May 2009 stated that there were 10% more collisions killing or injuring a pedestrian in the four weeks following the clocks going back than in the four weeks before the clocks changed. In October 2009, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee published a report called “Improving Road Safety for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Great Britain”, stating that “There are clear seasonal patterns in collisions which injure pedestrians, with peaks generally in October and November. The end of British Summer Time appears to be a significant factor. On average for the years 2000 to 2007, there were 10% more collisions leading to the death or injury of a pedestrian in the four weeks following the clocks going back than in the four weeks before the clocks changed. Research has shown that the period immediately after the clocks go back is more dangerous for road travel, even compared to other dark months such as January.” The report also stated that “There is substantial evidence that fewer people would be killed and seriously injured on Great Britain’s roads if this country were to put the clocks forward by one hour throughout the year.” The Benefits of Changing to Single/Double Summer TimeThe most recent research estimates that adopting Single/Double Summer Time would save around 80 lives and 212 serious injuries a year. This confirms earlier research which showed that the 1968/71 experiment, when British Standard Time (GMT + 1) was employed all year round (the clocks were advanced in March 1968 and not put back until October 1971) saved around 2,500 deaths and serious injuries each year of the trial period. The Department for Transport’s consultation paper, “A Safer Way: Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World”, confirmed that moving to lighter evenings would prevent about 80 deaths on the road a year. There would be a one-off cost of about £5 million to publicise the change but then benefits of around £138 million per year, as well as energy savings, business benefits and more opportunities for sport and leisure. The road safety benefits would be achieved because there are far more road casualties in the evening. Therefore, any increase in casualties in the morning during the winter, would be outweighed by the reduction in casualties due to an hour of extra daylight in the evenings. The overall result would be 80 fewer deaths a year. Extra evening daylight protects vulnerable road users like children, the elderly, cyclists and motorcyclists, making them more visible to motorists. There are more accidents in the afternoon rush hour than in the morning. Motorists are more tired after a day’s work and concentration levels are lower. Children tend to go straight to school in the morning but often digress on their way home, increasing their exposure to road dangers. Social trips are generally made in the afternoon and evening. However, many people are still cautious about accepting SDST and some firmly oppose it. A move to SDST is generally opposed by those industries whose workers rise early and utilise morning light, for example some farmers, those who collect and deliver milk, the building industry and postal workers (although the change to later deliveries may reduce the latter’s objections). Tourism, leisure and sporting organisations generally support a move to SDST, welcoming the increased opportunities for activity presented by more daylight on weekday evenings – an increasingly important point. Road safety organisations are persuaded by the research on casualty reduction and support the adoption of SDST. Many (but by no means all) people and organisations in Scotland oppose the move, citing the darker mornings as unwelcome and fearing they would lead to an increase in road casualties. In fact, the most recent research confirms a net reduction in casualties, even in Scotland. The Public Accounts Committee has recommended that “The Department [for Transport] should take the lead in re-examining the practice of changing clocks at the end of British Summer Time with other central Government departments.” RoSPA recommends that a change to introduce lighter evenings should be introduced on a trial basis for 2 – 3 years (similar to experiment conducted during 1968/71). The decision about continuing permanently would then be based on the consequent effects on road casualties. This would provide objective, up-to-date evidence about the effects of SDST and also enable the public and the various industry and business sectors that would be affected to experience the change for themselves. Further ReadingSingle/Double Summer Time: Position Paper RoSPA, 2003 (updated 2005)
|
