Notts: Warning over accidents when clocks change

BRITISH Summer Time officially arrives next weekend as the clocks go forward an hour at 1am on Sunday morning (March 30).

So as the country prepares to “spring forward” and with the Easter school holidays just over a week away, Nottinghamshire County Council is reminding motorists to take extra care on the roads as children begin to play out in the evenings.

“It’s that time of year when the county’s children traditionally start to come out of hibernation, as it were,” says Pam Shaw, the County Council’s road safety manager.

“They’ve spent the winter months cooped up indoors and with the arrival of the lighter evenings will be raring to be off and out, making the most of that extra daylight.

“Initially it’ll be light until nearly 8pm and getting progressively later quite quickly as the weeks go by. That means there will, naturally, be an increase in the number of children out playing.”

In Nottinghamshire the overall number of accidents involving children has decreased steadily over recent years although the number of those seriously injured or killed remains static at around 40 a year.

Around 24% of accidents involving children happen in March and April and 58% occur between the hours of 3pm and 8pm.

“With that in mind and with the lighter evenings coming, all road users need to take extra care, not only on main roads but, especially, in built-up residential areas,” adds Pam.

Motorists are advised to:

be aware of children using roads, both as cyclists and as pedestrians

watch out for children attempting to cross between parked cars

watch out for children playing around parks and open spaces and remember that they can become easily distracted

Parents are asked to:

remind their child to give the road their full attention

ensure they choose a safe place to play – not the road

ensure their child is familiar with the route they will be taking and the safer crossing places available

make sure they take off headphones and switch off phones when crossing the road

ensure they wear a cycle helmet and light/bright clothing when cycling