Accidents can rise after the clocks go back because the evening rush hour moves into the dark, when drivers see less and pedestrians and cyclists are harder to spot. Darkness does not stop you claiming: if someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you can usually make a personal injury claim, generally within three years of the accident.
On Sunday 25 October 2026 the clocks in the United Kingdom go back by one hour at 2am, marking the end of British Summer Time and the return to Greenwich Mean Time. Most of us welcome the extra hour in bed. What follows is less welcome: evenings that suddenly become dark during the journey home from work or school.
Every autumn, motoring organisations and insurers report a rise in collisions in the weeks after the change. Pedestrians, cyclists and drivers are all affected, and many of the injuries are preventable. Where they are caused by someone else’s negligence, the law of England and Wales still provides a route to compensation, even when darkness, weather and human error all play a part.
This guide sets out what the evidence shows, why the risk rises so quickly, who can be legally responsible, how to stay safer, and how long you have to act if you are hurt.
Do accidents really go up when the clocks go back?
There is no single official “clock change accident statistic”, but several independent studies point in the same direction. The first weeks of darker evenings are a higher-risk period, particularly in the evening commute and for people on foot or on bikes.
- Evening rush hour: The AA reported an 11 per cent increase in crashes between 4pm and 7pm in the three weeks after the autumn clock change, compared with the three weeks before. This is based on AA Accident Assist call-out data for 2022 to 2024, and the AA has nicknamed those evening jams “crash hour” (AA, 23 October 2025).
- The 5pm hour: Dashcam firm Nextbase analysed five years of government collision data and found that collisions between 5pm and 5.59pm rose by around 55 per cent in the week after the clocks went back, from an average of 128 to 198. That is roughly the hour in which sunset jumps from shortly before 6pm to shortly before 5pm (reported by NationalWorld, October 2024).
- Pedestrians: A RAC Foundation study of police STATS19 data for 2012 to 2017 found an average of 278 more personal injury collisions in the fortnight after the clocks went back, an increase of 5.1 per cent. Collisions involving a pedestrian casualty rose by 102 on average, an increase of 11.3 per cent.
These figures are not the last word. The RAC Foundation itself notes that the rise is not necessarily down to the hour’s change alone, and that worsening autumn weather may also play a part. Some academic research using official police-reported casualty data has found a more modest, or mixed, national effect once traffic volumes and weather are taken into account. That does not cancel out the practical message from breakdown and insurance data: the first weeks of darker evenings call for extra care.
The wider picture matters too. In 2024 there were an estimated 128,272 road casualties of all severities in Great Britain, including 1,602 deaths. Pedestrians accounted for 26 per cent of those deaths and pedal cyclists for 5 per cent (Department for Transport, reported road casualties Great Britain 2024). People on foot and on bikes remain at greater risk when visibility falls.
Why does the risk rise so quickly?
The clock change does not create new hazards by itself. It moves existing hazards into the busiest part of the day, and several of them arrive together.
1. Darkness arrives during the evening peak
Before the change, many people still travel home in daylight. Afterwards, the same journeys take place after dusk. Drivers who have spent the summer commuting in the light are suddenly dealing with unlit roads, poorly marked junctions, pedestrians in dark clothing and cyclists who are harder to judge for speed and distance. Reaction times shrink because objects appear later.
2. Low sun and glare
Even before sunset, autumn brings a low sun that sits directly in a driver’s line of sight. Reflections off wet tarmac make this worse. Headlights used incorrectly, dirty windscreens and worn wiper blades all add to the problem.
3. Wet roads, leaves and ice
Late October and November typically bring rain, fallen leaves and the first frosts. Stopping distances increase. Leaves can hide potholes and raised paving, and paths outside shops, stations, schools and workplaces become slippery. Occupiers who fail to inspect, light or clear those areas may be in breach of the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
4. A short “jet lag” effect
Moving the clocks, even by one hour, can disrupt sleep and alertness for a few days. Some researchers have linked clock changes with reduced concentration. Combined with a dark, wet commute, that is a poor mix for anyone behind the wheel, on a bike or crossing a busy road.
5. Children and after-school journeys
School finishing times do not move when the clocks do. Children who walked home in daylight the previous Friday may be doing so in the dark the following Monday. Drivers near schools, crossings and residential streets need to slow down and expect the unexpected. Claims for an injured child can be brought by a litigation friend, usually a parent.
6. Outdoor work and the journey home
Delivery drivers, construction workers, refuse collectors, care workers and others whose jobs take them onto the highway or into poorly lit premises face a sharper risk. Employers remain under a duty to take reasonably practicable steps to keep staff safe, including providing high-visibility clothing, adequate lighting, training and safe systems of work.
Is it only road accidents?
No. Darker evenings also increase the chance of slips, trips and falls in public places and at work. Typical examples include:
- Uneven or broken paving that cannot be seen until it is too late.
- Unlit car parks, stairwells and station approaches.
- Wet leaves left on supermarket or shopping-centre walkways.
- Poorly maintained lighting on council land or private premises.
- Workplace accidents involving vehicles reversing in yards after dusk.
Who is legally responsible if you are hurt in the dark?
The person or organisation whose negligence caused your injury. A successful personal injury claim in England and Wales rests on showing three things:
- A duty of care was owed to you.
- That duty was breached.
- The breach caused your injury and loss.
Who owes that duty depends on where and how you were hurt.
Drivers. Drivers owe a duty to other road users to drive with reasonable care and to adjust their driving for the conditions. Darkness is not an excuse for speeding, failing to look properly, using a mobile phone, driving with defective lights or tyres, or ignoring a pedestrian who is already on a crossing. The Highway Code tells drivers to take extra care in poor visibility and around people on foot or on cycles.
Occupiers of land and buildings. Occupiers must take reasonable care to see that visitors are reasonably safe. That includes lighting, inspection and dealing with known hazards such as wet leaves or broken slabs.
Highway authorities. Highway authorities have a duty to maintain the highway. Claims against them follow additional statutory rules, so early advice is important.
Employers. Employers must provide a safe place and system of work. If you were injured travelling in the course of your employment, or because your employer sent you out without proper equipment or training for night work, a claim may lie against the employer as well as, or instead of, another road user.
How can you stay safer as the nights draw in?
Prevention is better than any compensation claim. Practical steps for each group are below.
| Who | What helps |
| Drivers | Check lights, tyres, wipers and washer fluid. Keep the windscreen clean inside and out. Leave at least a four-second gap in the wet. Dip headlights so you do not dazzle others. Slow down near schools and in residential streets. |
| Pedestrians | Wear something bright or reflective. Use crossings. Put phones away when crossing. Choose well-lit routes where you can. |
| Cyclists | The law requires a white front light, a red rear light and a red rear reflector between sunset and sunrise, together with amber pedal reflectors on most bikes. Reflective clothing and a helmet are strongly advised. |
| Parents | Talk to children about being seen on the walk to and from school. Consider reflective bands on coats and bags. |
| Employers and occupiers | Review lighting, inspection rotas and high-visibility provision before the clocks change, not after the first accident. |
None of those precautions shifts the legal duty away from the person who caused the harm.
What compensation can you claim if you are injured?
Where negligence is proved, compensation in England and Wales is generally divided into two parts.
- General damages cover pain, suffering and loss of amenity. This includes both physical injury and the psychological effects that so often follow a collision: anxiety about travelling, sleep disturbance, loss of confidence and, in more serious cases, post-traumatic stress.
- Special damages cover past and future financial losses, including treatment and rehabilitation, lost earnings, care and assistance, travel, damaged clothing or a bicycle, and any adaptations that become necessary.
Serious injuries, such as fractures, head injuries, spinal injuries and injuries to children or older people, need early expert evidence so that the long-term picture is not underestimated. Psychological harm is a genuine, recoverable head of loss and should not be treated as an afterthought.
How long do you have to make a claim?
Most personal injury claims must be started within three years of the date of the accident, or of the date you first knew that the injury was significant and attributable to the defendant’s negligence. For children, the three-year period usually runs from their 18th birthday. Different rules can apply to claims against highway authorities. If you leave it too late, a strong case can still be lost.
Early advice protects your position while evidence, such as CCTV, dashcam footage, lighting records and inspection logs, is still available.
What should you do if you have been injured?
- Get medical help first. If anyone is seriously hurt or in danger, call 999.
- Take down the details of the other driver or the occupier, and of any witnesses, if you are able to.
- Keep evidence while it is still available: dashcam footage, photographs of the scene and the lighting, and details of any CCTV.
- Do not leave it too long. Most personal injury claims must be started within three years.
- Speak to a solicitor for a short, confidential conversation about whether someone else is likely to be at fault.