PROBLEM: Low sun causes accidents
Drivers must ramp up their levels of caution as darker evenings draw in, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have insisted.
The clocks go back on Sunday, and RoSPA are urging motorists to keep an eye out for vulnerable road users and watch their speed.
Cyclists and pedestrians are also being advised to ‘be seen and be safe’ as the end of British Summer Time approaches.
RoSPA recommend cyclists wear brightly-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and reflective clothing or accessories in the dark.
Pedestrians, including joggers, are also being reminded that it is hard for motorists to see them if they are wearing dark clothing.
Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive of RoSPA, said: “Although road deaths on the whole are going down, it is a huge concern to see a rise in the number of cyclists killed on our roads, especially children.
“We urge drivers to take extra care and vulnerable road users to be seen and be safe.
“But we also argue that an extra hour of evening daylight could help to save lives and reduce injuries during the colder, darker months.
“And that is why we will continue to push for parliament to look again at supporting a move to single/double summertime.”
Government statistics showed a 10% rise in the number of cyclists killed on Great Britain’s roads in 2012, with 118 dying.
The number of child cyclists killed doubled to 13 and the number of seriously injured cyclists rose to 3,222.
