YES: A trial would make the case, says Kathleen Braidwood

THERE appears to be a great deal of confusion about the impact a switch to lighter evenings would have on Scotland. From a road safety point of view, fears about darker mornings need to be addressed if this age-old debate is to be resolved.

The best way to allay those concerns is to carry out a properly evaluated trial. We’re confident that such an experiment would place beyond doubt the assertion that an extra hour of evening daylight would prevent a significant number of deaths and injuries on Scottish roads each year.

All the evidence tells us that road users are much more vulnerable in the late afternoon and early evening when they are tired and more likely to take longer, more digressive journeys.

Research commissioned by the Department for Transport backs this up. It shows that a move to Single/Double Summer Time (GMT+1 in winter/GMT+2 in summer) would help to prevent at least 80 deaths and more than 200 serious injuries on UK roads each year.

When looking at the road safety benefits for Scotland alone, the Policy Studies Institute at the University of Westminster found that our nation stands to benefit more, proportionately, than any other part of the UK.

A report it published in October 2010, calculates that a simple switch to lighter evenings would prevent about 20 deaths and serious injuries on Scotland’s roads each year.

Apart from avoiding the dreadful human cost of such accidents, this measure would also help to save the Scottish taxpayer about £8 million per year. In short, we need another trial. It is the only way of deciding, once and for all, if this proposal really is in everybody’s best interests

• Kathleen Braidwood is road safety officer for RoSPA Scotland.