Clocks Going Back and Pedestrian Accidents: UK Data 2021–25

Quick answer: Yes. In Great Britain, pedestrian casualties rise sharply in the two weeks after the clocks go back, and the rise is concentrated in the early evening, when the walk home suddenly happens in the dark. Comparing the 14 days after the change with the 14 days before, across 2021 to 2025, police recorded 4,382 pedestrian casualties against 3,772 (up 16%), 114 pedestrians killed against 79 (up 44%), and between 5pm and 7pm the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured doubled, from 154 to 310, according to the Department for Transport's STATS19 road safety data. The clocks go back this year at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026.

Before and after the clocks go back

Pedestrian casualties in Great Britain, 14 days before and 14 days after the change, five years combined (2021 to 2025):

• All pedestrian casualties: 3,772 before, 4,382 after (up 16%)
• Killed or seriously injured: 1,139 before, 1,397 after (up 23%)
• Killed: 79 before, 114 after (up 44%)
• 5pm to 7pm, all casualties: 567 before, 885 after (up 56%)
• 5pm to 7pm, killed or seriously injured: 154 before, 310 after (up 101%)
• 7am to 9am, all casualties: 429 before, 486 after (up 13%)

The increase showed up in four of the five years: 742 to 960 casualties in 2021, 776 to 913 in 2022, 742 to 920 in 2023 and 744 to 832 in 2025. 2024 was the exception, with 768 before and 757 after.

Why the evening matters

The clock change moves an hour of daylight from the evening to the morning. Overnight, the 5pm to 7pm rush, the school run home and the walk back from the shops happen at dusk or in darkness, while drivers are still used to seeing pedestrians in daylight. That is exactly where the data shows the jump: evening casualties rose by 56% while morning casualties, which get lighter, rose by 13%.

Some of the rise is simply the season. November is the worst month of the year for pedestrian collisions in Great Britain, with more rain, wet leaves and dark mornings as well. The gap between the evening and the morning rise is what points to darkness as the main cause. For the full hour-by-hour and month-by-month pattern, see when pedestrians are most at risk on UK roads.

Who is most at risk

People walking home from work and school between about 4pm and 7pm, anyone in dark clothing on unlit roads, and anyone crossing roads with 30 mph or 40 mph limits. Speed decides whether a pedestrian survives: on Britain's roads the share of pedestrian collisions that are fatal rises from under 1% at 20 mph to about 6% at 40 mph.

Staying safe after the clocks change

If you are walking: - Wear something light or reflective, especially on roads without street lights. - Cross where drivers expect you: at crossings, junctions and under street lights. - Do not assume a driver has seen you; make eye contact before stepping out.

If you are driving: - Slow down in towns between 4pm and 7pm in the first weeks after the change. - Clean the windscreen inside and out and check that all lights work; low sun and glare are worst at this time of year. - Look out for children walking home from school in the dark for the first time since spring.

Does the same happen in Ireland and the rest of Europe?

Ireland and EU countries change their clocks on the same night, so the same evening darkness arrives at the same time. Ireland's road deaths are spread more evenly through the year: Central Statistics Office figures for 2019 to 2023 put August first (83 deaths) and December second (70). See road deaths in Ireland by county and road deaths in Europe. In the United States the clocks go back a week later, on 1 November; the US pattern is in is Halloween the deadliest night for pedestrians.

How these numbers were counted

All British figures are from the Department for Transport's STATS19 data (police-reported personal injury collisions in Great Britain, Open Government Licence), 2021 to 2025. The "before" period is the 14 days up to the Saturday before the clocks go back; the "after" period is the 14 days from that Sunday. Casualties are counted from the casualty table, with times as recorded by police. Collisions where nobody was injured are not in STATS19, and the most recent year can be revised. Local figures for every council are on the UK road accidents pages and the accident hotspots map.