Winter Darkness Brings Driving Dangers

The change of the clocks at the end of October brings with it some unwelcome statistics. In November 2011, the darker evenings saw a 14% rise in the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured compared to the monthly average. Casualties amongst cyclists rose by 5% and most startlingly of all, a 28% rise in motorcycle casualties per vehicle mile.

Which is why last month the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) called for changes to be made to British Summer Time (BST) to give us extended daylight hours in the evening. IAM suggest the introduction of a three-year trial period to prove the positive effect the additional daylight hours would have on road safety.

IAM argue that bringing the British time zone forward by an hour in both winter and summer, would mean lighter evenings, when winter crashes are more likely. This change could prevent about 80 deaths and at least 200 serious injuries on our roads each year.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "Making evenings lighter would save lives. While an extra hour of daylight would help to make the commute home much safer for all road users, children, cyclists and motorcyclists would benefit most."

Along with the call for changes to BST, IAM is launching a winter driving campaign. The campaign designed to keep drivers updated with the latest traffic information, weather forecasts and tips on how to drive safely in winter is supported by a new website.

Negotiating winter's more dangerous driving conditions contribute to an increase in accident rates - slippery roads (due to weather) contributed to 13,420 road casualties in 2011, and related to 79 fatalities - and even the most experienced drivers can sometimes find themselves in difficulty during the worst of the winter's weather. Following these tips, from the Road Haulage Association, can help make journeys through adverse weather conditions more manageable:

• Make sure your tyres are fit for the road. The minimum tread for tyres should be at least 5mm for winter.
• Ensure your vehicle has appropriate snow chains.
• Keep your windscreen, washers, mirrors and lights clean and clear of snow and ice.
• Make sure your wiper blades are in good condition and can fully clear your windscreen.
• Keep the air intake grills and the air intake for your heating system free of leaves, snow and ice.
• Clear ALL the snow and ice from your vehicle but ensure your headlights for both dipped and full beam, indicators and rear lights, are not be obstructed by snow and ice

In addition to the RHA tips, IAM's chief examiner, Peter Rodger, advises:

• Make sure you can stop safely within the distance you can see to be clear.
• If an approaching car forgets to dip its lights, look beyond the lights, but to their left to avoid being dazzled as much.
• Look at how the traffic ahead behaves for clues to possible problems you can't see yet.

But probably the most important tip is to exercise extra caution when driving during the winter. Because numbers are clear it's drivers who have the greatest impact on accident rates - last year rain, sleet, snow or fog was the cause of 1,786 reported road casualties but for the same Travelling too fast for conditions was a contributing factor in 13,425 accidents in 2011.