A conservative MP has been named Brake’s parliamentarian of the month for tabling a Private Members’ Bill to get the secretary of state to conduct an analysis of the costs and benefits of introducing daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time means putting the clocks forward by one hour to make the days lighter. It would make the journey home from school safer for children during the winter months, and it is estimated that the move could save 100 lives each year on the roads.
A number of road safety organisations have campaigned on this issue for several years.
Rebecca Harris MP, said: “I am delighted to be selected as Brake’s Parliamentarian of the Month. As a mother I want Britain’s roads to be as safe as possible.
“I am very proud to be putting forward a Bill that has the potential to help save lives on our roads.”
Ellen Booth, Brake’s campaign officer, added: “This is an opportunity to make a huge difference to road safety.”
“Rebecca’s firm commitment to road safety and the environment are commendable and we are very pleased to award her with our Parliamentarian of the Month award for road safety.”
For more information contact Ellen Booth, Brake’s campaign officer.
I remember the trial in the 70’s and living in central England went to school in the pitch black. Who in their right mind wants to get up when it is dark and miserable. Not putting the clocks back in October would mean even in the Midlands it won’t get light until 9am +. Drivers are tired in the mornings. You can fiddle accident figures as much as you like, but if this stupid idea takes a grip the reality of death on the road in the morning will become a stark truth. It didn’t work in the 70’s and it won’t work now.
T. Folan, Solihull
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The Scots argument is that it would not get light in Scotland until 10, but this doesn’t detract from the argument of aligning daylight as far as possible with our waking hours – they’ve just got just daylight to ‘play’ with. They will clearly voice their opinion against change, but we mustn’t let the minority win on this occasion. And why make it a trial, the experiment in the 70s showed it worked, lets just go to BST all year around and leave it there permanently.
And please don’t let us be tempted to go for double summer time in the summer and still change the clocks twice a year. That is half the problem – the change. It is very time consuming to change all the clocks for a start, it upsets our daily rhythm and quite frankly it is depressing to lose that hour of daylight in the evening. No, BST and just BST please.
Martin Thomas, Kings Langley, Herts
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Far more people prefer and make use of longer evenings of daylight than mornings, and with the associated health and safety pros outweighing the cons, the adoption of Daylight Saving Time instead of GMT and Double Daylight Saving Time instead of BST, saves lives (including those of schoolchildren), improves health and benefits the economy. It’s not often you can have a Win, Win, Win, situation at such little cost; any delay means these potential savings, including lives, will be delayed also.
R Jones, N Wales
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I have always supported daylight saving time. I can however accept the reservations of the Scots. Does the Scottish Assembly have the right to set their own ‘time’? Is ‘double summertime’ going to be the issue which will finally set Scotland free? How in the mean time does Government deal with the West Lothian question?
Ray Childs, Bucks
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