27/10/11
By Steven Birch
Removing British summer time could save around 80 lives a year on the UK's roads, it has been claimed.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has outlined the benefits of moving Britain's clocks one hour further forward throughout the year to create darker mornings and lighter evenings.
Under the proposed scheme the clocks would still go forward in spring and back in autumn, but they would just advance one hour beyond what they are at the moment.
The motoring organisation has thrown its weight behind the plans because accident rates surge when the clocks change in October. Figures show that there are 17 per cent more pedestrian casualties in November compared with any other month, which has been attributed to the time change.
During an IAM survey of 2,000 drivers, 65 per cent said they would support a double summertime switch.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "Changing the current summertime system would save lives. Children especially are more likely to be out and about after school and an extra hour of daylight will make them more visible.
"We want to see a three-year trial of the new daylight system. If the trial period proves the new daylight hours to be a disadvantage, it is clear that the current system should be reinstated.
"However, with convincing evidence of the potential benefits, it seems only right that we pilot a new system."
