The big switch off hits Midlands drivers
A STUDY has revealed that drivers in the East Midlands are forced to drive through poor lighting as almost three quarters of street lights are turned off or dimmed across the region.
With the clocks having gone back, it is believed that motorists will face even darker evenings and more challenging road conditions.
According to a new interactive map created by Confused.com, there are almost 300,000 street lamps installed across the East Midlands of which more than 72% are switched off or dimmed during certain hours of the night.
Of these, 788 are switched off all night, 51,000 are turned off for part of the night and almost 160,000 are dimmed during the night hours, according to data obtained from the region’s local councils.
These figures have raised concern for motorists who are forced to therefore drive in dark and gloomy conditions without a fully-clear view of the road ahead.
Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused. com, says: “Street lights are installed for a reason, and that is to help drivers be fully aware of their surroundings and offer protection to pedestrians. “And by switching these off in the East Midlands and across the rest of Britain, drivers really are left in the dark. “Not being able to see the road clearly is a very daunting and confusing challenge drivers face. “It is important they are extra vigilant and take extra care when driving in blacked-out areas as surroundings may not be very easy to see. “We have compiled our top safety tips for driving in the dark, which could fill drivers with more confidence before setting off at night.” While dimming street lights may seem like a reasonable middle-ground by providing light to drivers while reducing the amount of energy being used, the company have found that this is still a risk to road users. Their study found that 42% of drivers have driven along a dark road where the street lights were dimmed resulting in almost a sixth of those being involved in an accident or near miss, while more than one in four UK motorists admit they get confused while driving in the dark as they cannot see the road or read the signs clearly. The company are calling for more lights to remain on, even if for a little bit longer, to help drivers to feel confident when tackling the roads at night.