Business Insurance - Call for year-round lighter nights increases

A call for ministers to consider extending daylight savings time across the whole year in order to improve road safety has been made.

Motoring safety charity Brake is now calling for businesses and members of the public to support the Lighter Later campaign after the Daylight Saving Bill ran out of time in January, despite widespread support from ministers.

It is hoped that shifting the clocks to provide an extra hour of light in the evening all year round would help cut the number of traffic accidents which take place during the darker winter months, as well as tackling a range of other issues.

Julie Townsend, Brake deputy chief executive, said: "The effect would be safer roads in the afternoons and evenings, when many are walking and cycling home from school or work and need to be seen by drivers to prevent devastating road casualties.

"The change would also promote healthier lifestyles and stronger communities as it would encourage more people to get out and about on foot and bicycle."

She added that too much precious daylight is wasted when the majority of people are asleep and therefore this shift in the clocks would help to make people more productive, healthy and happy.

Outlined in the campaign are the benefits of shifting to a new GMT+2 hours timezone in the summer and a GMT+1 hour system in the winter, with forecasts pointing to a reduction of up to 80 fewer deaths from serious road accidents each year and hundreds fewer accidents overall.

Earlier this month, GEM Motoring Assist also offered its support for the Lighter Later campaign, with David Williams MBE, chief executive officer of the company, claiming the outcome of the Daylight Savings Bill was a bitter blow for its supporters.

However, the new campaign could pick up where the failed legislation left off and would be a positive move to improve road safety in the UK.

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