Accident risk trebles as Councils cut street lighting
As Britain prepares for the clocks to go back, a new road safety study has revealed the accident risk for pedestrians could treble as a number of local authorities’ consider plunging the UK’s roads into blackout chaos.
A report from Autoglass and conducted by road safety expert Dr Nick Gkikas compared fatalities in areas with similar surroundings but where the road lighting was either poor or where it was adequately in place and found that switching off road lights seriously compromises road safety for motorists, with drivers struggling to see pedestrians or cyclists in the dark.
The report highlighted that the high involvement rate of pedestrians and cyclists in accidents associated with limited lighting indicates that street lighting should be compulsory, particularly as there is a low frequency of vehicle-only accidents in those surroundings.
Other findings reveal that driving in poor lighting conditions is further heightened around the time of year when the clocks change. The frequency of road accidents in the dark increases four-fold in the week after the changeover as road users take up to a week to adapt their behaviour to the new lighting conditions and with two thirds (62%) of motorists regularly driving in the dark this highlights a real and present danger.
It’s a timely reminder and has heightened the debate why street lighting should not be switched off. A poll of 3,000 motorists showed that more than three quarters (78%) believe that switching off essential street lighting is an appalling and dangerous idea and 30% think local authorities should carry out consultation before implementing the measure.
Motorists are also concerned that switching off the lighting will jeopardise pedestrians’ safety (50%), put cyclists at risk (40%) and also impact on motorists’ safety (35%). More than a quarter (27%) acknowledge that turning off the lights will affect their ability to see hazards clearly. Only half (50%) of drivers deliberately adopt a more careful approach when driving during wintertime and less than a third (30%) of them drive slower.
Buckinghamshire County Council, Leicestershire, Somerset and Essex have already turned off street lights and similar schemes are already planned across Swansea, Devon and parts of Yorkshire. In addition, seven stretches of motorway have now been plunged into darkness until 5am every night.
The situation may become even more widespread following the recent Spending Review, with local councils expected to have to make savage cuts in services as they tackle cuts of nearly 30 per cent. This may lead to more local authorities considering switching off street lighting as an immediate way to save costs.
Furthermore, the study showed that 40 per cent of pedestrians questioned go out walking at night time more than twice a week, and that nearly eight out of ten times (76%) this takes place in an urban or suburban environment. In parallel, 64% of cyclists regularly go out during the night, but worryingly only a quarter (27%) wear high visibility clothing, which could help drivers detect them from a safe distance in the dark.
Matthew Mycock, managing director of Autoglass comments: “The Highways Agency has already admitted there could be an increase in accident rates as a result of turning off the road lighting. There are also fears that more roads will see black-outs as councils across the country try to save money. We have commissioned this report as the road safety of motorists is paramount to us and we are calling for local authorities to seriously consider the locations of the blackouts and the potential use of alternative measures such as dimming the lights, turning off every alternative light or switching to low energy lamps.”
Dr Nick Gkikas comments: “While we’re not suggesting it is impossible to implement energy saving schemes without compromising road safety, our report clearly shows that more thought needs to be given to the detailed factors behind visibility-related accidents. At the moment, it all seems rushed and decision-makers haven’t realised what is at stake.
“Of course we all want to do our bit for the environment and the economy, but as a single serious injury can cost society millions of pounds in the long term, we need to develop methods for the appropriate specification of when and where to switch lights off. This means taking into account some of the points this report highlights, such as a driver’s visibility of hazards and the likelihood of where they will face these risks most often.”
For more information and advice on driving in the dark or to view footage visit: autoglassnews.co.uk