The impact of street lighting on night time road casualties

TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) has been commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT), on behalf of the UK Lighting Board, to undertake an investigation into the impact of street lighting on night time road casualties.

The initial aim of the research project is to develop statistically robust estimates of the benefits of street lighting on accident reduction. These will be used in the development of business cases for the funding of lighting schemes on local road networks. Overall, the aim of the work is intended to provide highway authorities with a vigorous methodology for preparing a cost benefit analysis of road lighting schemes in terms of their impact on road safety

TRL will work with local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales and make use of the national road accident database STATS19, which provides a record of all vehicle accidents attended by the Police and which involve personal injury. The study will cover the full range of local authority road types.

Night time accident data will be studied and correlated with the lighting systems in use, in order to determine the effect of the presence of lighting and the lighting levels on the frequency and/or severity of accidents on different classes of road.

The project will also examine whether changes are necessary to update the current lighting provision, taking into account the greater efficiency of modern lighting and developments in terms of vehicle design and traffic levels.