Motorists are being urged to exercise extra caution as new government data reveals an increase in road collisions following the clocks going back one hour with the end of British Summer Time (BST) on Sunday 27th October.
Department for Transport (DfT) data we have obtained here at DrivingExperience HQ reveals that there were a staggering 4,928 collisions in the two-week period after last year's clock change, compared to 4,295 in the fortnight before - representing a surge of 15%.
Safety organisations have called for the UK government to scrap seasonal clock changes, citing that more people are injured and killed on the road because of darker evenings in the autumn and winter than would be the case if British Summer Time (GMT+1) was adopted all year round.
Dan Jones, operations manager at DrivingExperience.com, says: "The clocks going back represent a real hazard to many motorists and pedestrians, as clearly shown by these government figures."
"We urge the government to look at all considerations to see if seasonal clock changes are really necessary, as hundreds of totally avoidable collisions could be prevented."
Ways to drive safely in the dark include checking that lights work, maintaining a safe distance between vehicles, keeping a close eye out for pedestrians, children, and animals, and ensuring clean windows for optimum visibility.
Additionally, a specific safer driving course includes learning accident avoidance, wet weather driving, snow and ice driving, muddy road driving, and other helpful techniques.
Dan adds: "Driving in the dark presents many hazards, so we encourage motorists to allow extra time for their journeys and remain as safe as possible."
"Drivers might also want to consider one of our Driving Lessons package such as our Safer Driving Course, which is useful all year round and can include techniques to improve confidence, such as handling oversteer, understeer, and lane changing."
