The clocks go back an hour this Sunday 28 October at 2am – and as the long days of our glorious summer fade into the distance, winter will feel well and truly upon us with early darkness and wet weather just around the corner.
But while the clock change gives you an extra hour of snooze time in bed this weekend, it also brings an increase in accidents. During the 5-8pm ‘home time’ rush hour period in the weeks after clock change, accident risk increases by 37% for the lads – and 30% for the ladies1.
The clock change signals tougher driving conditions as the early darkness means that this weekend, your normal drive home from work or college will be much darker than usual. There is poor visibility and less time to plan for road conditions. Also, with the onset of wet weather, the rain will bring wet, slippery, and sometimes icy roads and a greater risk of skidding, wheels locking or losing control of the car.
If it’s your first-year driving in dark and wintry conditions, it could be a lot more challenging.
Speeding in the dark is also risky. Between midnight and 7am, motorists are 3 times more likely to have an accident if speeding, compared to during the day – so speeding during the winter months could leave you wishing you could turn back time.
In the week ahead, let Halloween be the scariest thing you have to deal with! Don’t be afraid of the dark when the clocks go back: just use forward thinking, be mindful of the lower visibility and watch out for wet weather. Check out our infographic for driving more safely in the dark (click to enlarge).
[1] insurethebox analysis of driving data, based on driving data and claims data from 2014-18