Winter Nights Bring Higher Risks of Road Collisions

The latest from Angelica Solutions for you;

As the UK prepares to wind the clocks back this weekend, analysis by insurance data analytics consultancy Angelica Solutions reveals that road collisions in the dark are 80% more likely to result in death compared to those in daylight. Despite fewer vehicles on the road at night, the risk of fatal collisions rises sharply, particularly on roads with 30mph and 40mph speed limits where the number of fatalities more than doubles in darkness.

During daylight hours, 20% of injury-causing road collisions result in at least one serious injury and 1.2% result in a fatality but the proportion of fatalities rises to 2.1% in the dark, an increase of around 80% despite traffic volumes typically being much lower in the hours of darkness.

During the evening rush hour, collisions are 33% more likely to be fatal if it’s dark.

In any light conditions, the higher the road speed limit, the more likely a collision is to include at least one fatality with 3.5% of collisions on roads with speed limits 50mph and above resulting in a fatality. Light conditions have a dramatic impact here though too with the likelihood of fatality increasing to 4.8% in the dark, a rise of around 60% compared to crashes in the light (2.9%).

Driving more slowly is the single most significant thing drivers can do to reduce the risks as we see that on 20mph roads the fatality risk increases by just under 40% in the dark, whilst the risk more than doubles on 30mph and 40mph roads.

Streetlights go some way to offering protection, the data shows that during rush hour on roads with a 30mph or 40mph limit, around 22% of evening collisions result in fatal or serious injuries when streetlights were available and lit. This rises by 13% to a quarter of all evening collisions resulting in fatal or serious injuries when streetlights were not lit.

James Luckhurst, Founder of Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death), commented: “As visibility drops and evening commutes give way to darkness with the clocks going back this month, we need greater awareness, slower speeds and more caution on our roads to help prevent avoidable tragedies and ensure everyone gets home safe.

“Independent analysis such as this from Angelica Solutions plays an important role in raising awareness and deepening our understanding of road safety challenges. It helps turn complex data into a clear narrative, showing how much more dangerous our roads become after dark. Crucially, it highlights the importance for a collective effort to address these risks and protect all road users”.

Sarah Vaughan, Founder & Director of Angelica Solutions comments: “What’s interesting is how clearly the data tells a story as darkness dramatically increases road risk, even when traffic levels fall. That’s why this kind of analysis matters.  However, it’s not just driving risk that increases at night, analysis published by WHICH showed that premiums are likely to be higher if you apply for car insurance at night too^[4]. Whilst the cheapest quotes in the analysis rose by 20%, one quote was seen to increase in price by over 100%”.