Clock change means 450 more accidents and 104 deaths

[WelshWizard]

While looking for WRB info came across this bit of info from the Safermotorways web site
http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/feature41.htm

Summertime(BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) will cause 450 more accidents and means 104 more people will die on our roads, according to Cambridge University engineers.

The argument to stop the practice of putting the clocks back one hour in October has been argued for as long as I can remember and the benefits of the change from BST to GMT do seem hard to justify.



Author of this latest report, Elizabeth Garnsey, is keen to get the debate back on the agenda.



Speaking in the Sunday Times, Garnsey says “Setting the clocks back to GMT is an institutional practice so well entrenched it is exempt from evidence-based policy making. No systematic evidence has been produced and no research commissioned in support of the governments position”.

It may apply to the UK but how many accidents occur here in NZ due to the summer/winter time changes and are these changes really required in this day and age

[Storm]

yes they are required-they give me more riding time after work hours:D

[Katman]

I think that's a perfect example of when statistics are totally pointless and the people who dream them up are totally brainless.

[The Pastor]

I think that's a perfect example of when statistics are totally pointless and the people who dream them up are totally brainless.
I will actually agree with you on this one.

[Usarka]

yeah I bet you's read all 44 pages of the academically authored & referenced report before deciding it conflicted with your opinion and therefore is worthless.....


Another consideration is the impact the time change has on people who have sleeping difficulties, and the flow on effect to their productivity (and safety operating motor vehicles). Daylight savings time change is often a trigger for insomnia.....

[Katman]

Actual statistics are usually worthwhile. Projected (or imagined) statistics are pointless.

[Dave-]

yes they are required-they give me more riding time after work hours:D

x2

I love those long summer evenings.

[Hitcher]

Studies show that 87.1% of all statistics are made up.

[Badjelly]

So it's the change from daylight/summer time back to normal time that's causing the problem? And the answer they seem to be suggesting is to keep daylight time all year round. ... [pauses to think] ... [brain cranking over] ... But then it wouldn't be daylight saving, would it?

[bert_is_evil]

erm, whether or not you have daylight savings you can't avoid the fact that in winter there are less daylight hours so it's going to be dark at one of the traffic peak hours no matter what you do. DST only changes whether that is in the morning or at night. Seems more likely that the increase in road accidents is due to the darkness rather than insomnia etc

[Jiminy]

I think that's a perfect example of when statistics are totally pointless and the people who dream them up are totally brainless.

Looks like it's "Agreeing with Katman's week". Those numbers feel dangerously out of context.

Reading the report ("Daylight Saving in GB; Is there evidence in favour of clock time on GMT?") from the "Institute for Manufacturing news" (sic) quoted in the article, I feel that the argument about road accidents is less about daylight saving and more about synchronizing the UK with the rest of Europe (GMT +1/+2). Or have I missed something?

[Sidewinder]

While looking for WRB info came across this bit of info from the Safermotorways web site
http://www.safermotorways.co.uk/feature41.htm


It may apply to the UK but how many accidents occur here in NZ due to the summer/winter time changes and are these changes really required in this day and age

its a waste of fucking time if your asking

[Badjelly]

its a waste of fucking time if your asking

So you're a "Don't know" then?

[Sidewinder]

So you're a "Don't know" then?

im a yes dont change the time.

why dont we change the dates also then. or make 8 day weeks or something alse thats a waste off fucking time

[bladerider97]

The Statistics never lie. Look at this for example. We need more pirates

[Big Dog]

The Statistics never lie. Look at this for example. We need more pirates
That trend has ended, with the advent of the internet there are now billions of pirates but the temp is not dropping.

[Big Dog]

Truth be told I shudder at the thought of setting my clocks for winter time. My sleep is f**ked up, there is no real benifit to me I still leave for work in the dark with the sun rising or get home in the with the sun setting most days. Always with me riding toward the sun.
I look forward to DST with anticipation every year I can finally get a full nights sleep and I can finally ride to or from work without facing into a rising / setting sun in one or both directions.

[Oakie]

Interesting. As someone else suggested, she is actually saying they should leave time at Daylight Saving Time and not return to GMT in winter. She's not actually saying they should scrap DST, just that they should stay at 1 hour ahead of GMT all year around ... which means it is DST all year round and at the same time because there would be no change in time around the equinoxes there would no longer be a 'Daylight Saving Time'. Hmmm. Wonderful paradox.Time for a drink.

No evidence in favour of imposing Greenwich Mean Time in winter was found," says the report. Putting the clocks back results in "more traffic accidents and higher, more costly, evening peaks in electricity consumption than would occur on GMT+1."

The only unfavourable impact of ending the return to GMT would be on early morning workers. The report suggests that working hours could be altered for particular groups to counter this.

Consumers are paying much more for electricity as a result of ending summer time. Delaying the timing of sunset in winter would give an extra hour of light in the evening and reduce the surge of energy demand, even taking into account the later sunrise.

[Subike]

yes they are required-they give me more riding time after work hours:D

summer DLS 6 am mornings on the Leader Rd....experiace it to understand

No Traffic

[Oakie]

Oh yeah. A main claim of the report and the he title of this thread 'Clock change means 450 more accidents and 104 deaths' refers to the fact that with it being darker in the morning, there would be more accidents. What it doesn't mention is the balancing side of the equation in that with it being lighter at the end of the day, there would be less accidents and deaths then. SO ... the total number of accidents wouldn't change, they'd just happen more often at the start of the day rather than the end.

Err, someone much cleverer than I once said "Statistics will confess to anything if tortured enough". I think this report is a good example of that.

[Disco Dan]

How else am I meant to be able to turn up late for work twice a year and the boss buys it!!!! :devil2:

[Big Dave]

Gee thats up 6.8% on the figures quoted in the financial year ending 2007. This place is going to the dogs!

He steals 12.75% of his material from me.

[Hitcher]

He steals 12.75% of his material from me.

I prefer to use the term "recycles".

[TygerTung]

I am surprised that a change of one hour badly disturbs your sleep.

I work week about night shift and day shift.

Day shift is 7.30am to 4pm, night shift is 3.45pm to 12.15am

Even with this reasonable change in sleeping times, I don't find it to be much of a problem at all.

If anything, just make it day light savings at all times.