Why are dark evenings dangerous, but dark mornings "safe"?

[Cunobelin]

There was a debate on the TV about daylight saving and "double summer time"

It is claimed that the lighter evenings reduce accidents

RoSPA suggest this would reduce the number of accidents over this period as a result of the lighter evenings, as was demonstrated when the British Standard Time  scheme was trialled between 27 October 1968 and 31 October 1971, when Britain remained on GMT+1 all year.[3]  Analysis of accident data during the experiment indicated that while there had been an increase in casualties in the morning, there had been a substantially greater decrease in casualties in the evening, with a total of around 2,500 fewer people killed and seriously injured during the first two winters of the experiment. RoSPA have called for the two year trial to be repeated with modern evaluation methods. The proposal is opposed by farmers and other outdoor workers, and many residents of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as it would mean that, in northern Britain and Northern Ireland, the winter sunrise would not occur until 10:00 or even later.

I wondered about this concept and why dark mornings are safer?

A majority of rush hour drivers will be the same in each rush hour, yet the accidents don't happen on a dark morning

 Should we be looking at why the accidents are occurring in the evening and not the morning as it would be logical that if the darkness was to the sole contributing factor, then the accidents should simply transfer to the morning rush?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Pancho]

People are still in bed when it's light in the morning?

[Manotea]

In the morning people are (relatively) fresh, relaxed and alert. In the evenings they are tired, stressed and rushing to get home.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

But in the mornings all the people going to school and all the people going to work are going at more or less the same time, but the kids have been home from school for an hour or more before people come home from work, so you'd think evenings would be safer.

[nuttycyclist]

Don't get me started on this  

Twice a year this discussion crops up.  

In the morning people are (relatively) fresh, relaxed and alert. In the evenings they are tired, stressed and rushing to get home.

I don't know about you, but in the morning's I'm fast asleep and don't wake up till my 2nd coffee at work.

I prefer to commute to work in the daylight, and come home in the dark.

It doesn't matter what your clock says, THERE ARE NO MORE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT IN THE DAY IF YOU CHANGE THE TIME DISPLAYED.


If you want to enjoy more of the daylight, get up earlier.  

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

[PhilO]

It doesn't matter what your clock says, THERE ARE NO MORE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT IN THE DAY IF YOU CHANGE THE TIME DISPLAYED.

If you want to enjoy more of the daylight, get up earlier.  

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

+n

In fact, that's all changing the clocks is - it's a way of conning pursuading people to get up an hour earlier.

A few years ago, during this debate, I heard a farmer complaining that it upset his cows because (to them) they went from being milked at 5am to being milked at 4am... Quite how he failed to grasp the next logical step is beyond me! 

[border-rider]

If you want to enjoy more of the daylight, get up earlier.  

Doesn't help much if you have a 9-5 type job though....

Changing the clocks gives you more time after work to ride your bike in daylight in the summer, and a chance of seeing daylight on the way in in the winter.

For people like me without that constraint it's irrelevant, I agree, but that's not most people.

Quite a few Audaxs in the later winter have 7 am starts to maximise daylight rather than wasting is standing round in a carpark waiting for the off, though.

[FatBloke]

I don't know about you, but in the morning's I'm fast asleep and don't wake up till my 2nd coffee at work.

I prefer to commute to work in the daylight, and come home in the dark.

In the morinings I'm wide awake, by 5:00pm I'm flagging.

I prefer to commute to work in the dark, and come home in the daylight!       

[mrcharly-YHT]

A few years ago, during this debate, I heard a farmer complaining that it upset his cows because (to them) they went from being milked at 5am to being milked at 4am... Quite how he failed to grasp the next logical step is beyond me! 

Which is?

If you are going to say 'milk them at 6am', remember that the milk tanker will be arriving an hour earlier.

[Notsototalnewbie]

If you want to enjoy more of the daylight, get up earlier.  

Doesn't help much if you have a 9-5 type job though....

Changing the clocks gives you more time after work to ride your bike in daylight in the summer, and a chance of seeing daylight on the way in in the winter.

This. I love the lighter evenings, cycling home without lights.

[bikenerd]

This. I love the lighter evenings, cycling home without lights.

Me too.  Being able to cycle home from work without lights and then go for a "night" ride in the woods without using lights, or only having to use them towards the end is fantastic.

[clarion]

Half the motorists I see on any given morning have not woken up.  I see more idiocy in mornings than evenings - dark or not.

[frankly frankie]

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

Then we'd be out of step with everyone else in Europe, if not the world.

[Mr Larrington]

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

Then we'd be out of step with everyone else in Europe, if not the world.

Arizona has no lorry with this clock-changing business.  Which almost cost me a dinner after crossing into Utah.

[MSeries]

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

Then we'd be out of step with everyone else in Europe, if not the world.

Arizona has no lorry with this clock-changing business.  Which almost cost me a dinner after crossing into Utah.

First time I drive into Arizona from somewhere west, California maybe, I expected the clocks to be different. The clock on my car was the same as the clock in the saloon and I though, wow these America cars have automatic clock changing for timezones.

Until I realised what really didn't happen,

[border-rider]

Then we'd be out of step with everyone else in Europe, if not the world.

Except Iceland

In the winter there's no point, and in the summer there's...no point

[rower40]

I wondered about this concept and why dark mornings are safer?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Travelling out in daylight, and back in the dark, has one other disadvantage for cyclists; the "I forgot my lights" syndrome.  Prevalent with school-age kids on BSOs.  If it were dark in the morning, they'd be more likely (*) to set off from home with their lights on.

I'd prefer the dark mornings and lighter evenings.  So I'm in the "GMT+1 in the winter and GMT+2 in the summer" camp.

(*) 1% having lights is better than 0.5%.  Not "much more likely" I agree.

[border-rider]

Everywhere I've lived, GMT+2 would still have me getting home from work in the dark in the winter.  It just means that it might be dusk when I left work - so more chance of people riding without lights

GMT+2 would also mean that riding to work would be in the dark.  Result: dark ride both ways.  No thanks.

[hellymedic]

Don't get me started on this  

Twice a year this discussion crops up.  

In the morning people are (relatively) fresh, relaxed and alert. In the evenings they are tired, stressed and rushing to get home.

I don't know about you, but in the morning's I'm fast asleep and don't wake up till my 2nd coffee at work.

I prefer to commute to work in the daylight, and come home in the dark.

It doesn't matter what your clock says, THERE ARE NO MORE HOURS OF DAYLIGHT IN THE DAY IF YOU CHANGE THE TIME DISPLAYED.


If you want to enjoy more of the daylight, get up earlier.  

Now let's just stop farting around changing the clocks twice a year.  Thank you.

+1

Bored of Burnt Oak.

[hellymedic]

Then we'd be out of step with everyone else in Europe, if not the world.

Except Iceland

In the winter there's no point, and in the summer there's...no point

I don't think they bother in many nations close to the Euator, for the same reason...

[perpetual dan]

A few years ago, during this debate, I heard a farmer complaining that it upset his cows because (to them) they went from being milked at 5am to being milked at 4am... Quite how he failed to grasp the next logical step is beyond me! 

Which is?

If you are going to say 'milk them at 6am', remember that the milk tanker will be arriving an hour earlier.

I know nothing about livestock or farming, but presumably if the farmers got together and said "the cows want a lie in" the tanker could leave an hour later without a disaster occurring?
Do cows get up with the sunrise?

[hellymedic]

Maybe the tanker driver's schedule is dictated by BigMilkCo and truck drivers' working hours dictats. I also know zilch about farming etc.

[PhilO]

A few years ago, during this debate, I heard a farmer complaining that it upset his cows because (to them) they went from being milked at 5am to being milked at 4am... Quite how he failed to grasp the next logical step is beyond me! 

Which is?

If you are going to say 'milk them at 6am', remember that the milk tanker will be arriving an hour earlier.

I know nothing about livestock or farming, but presumably if the farmers got together and said "the cows want a lie in" the tanker could leave an hour later without a disaster occurring?
Do cows get up with the sunrise?

I missed MC's post - sorry! Aye, I hadn't considered the tanker schedule, but there are easy ways around that. PD's solution is one; another would be to start milking 5 minutes earlier each day, starting 12 days before the clocks change... The point being that nobody has to change their schedule by a hour overnight.

[RJ]

Everywhere I've lived, GMT+2 would still have me getting home from work in the dark in the winter.  It just means that it might be dusk when I left work - so more chance of people riding without lights

GMT+2 would also mean that riding to work would be in the dark.  Result: dark ride both ways.  No thanks.

Some of us get that already ...

[nuttycyclist]

This. I love the lighter evenings, cycling home without lights.

Me too.  Being able to cycle home from work without lights and then go for a "night" ride in the woods without using lights, or only having to use them towards the end is fantastic.

Indeed.  But those people who have to commute in for silly o'clock starts now have to put up with dark morning commutes with dopey motorists just so that you can have your fun.