Member Article

Commute smart in the dark

Today is National Commute Smart Day. Following the The RAC, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and Work Wise UK are working together to urge commuters to be safer in the dark, now that the clocks have gone back.

Last November 319 people were killed in the road, compared to 287 for October, an increase of 11%. The surge in casualty rates between October and November - which occurs every year - is widely attributed to road users and pedestrians struggling to adapt to the darker evenings. Accidents peak in the evening rush hour, between 4 and 6pm.

Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, said: “UK workers spend on average 47 working days a year commuting – almost one additional working day per week – and this is on top of the UK having one of the longest working weeks in Europe. The additional burden of having to commute in the dark could be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’. “There is another way. If employers will allow a level of smarter working they may well see an improvement in staff wellbeing, and even an increase in productivity.”

Flexible working times, staggered journeys and part home working are three ways for workers to avoid traveling to and from work in the dark.

Further details about Work Wise UK can be found on www.workwiseuk.org

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .