A new study has shown that turning off street lights to cut power bills and fight climate change could result in thrice as many fatal road crashes.
Researchers from Newcastle University in northeast England say there is overwhelming evidence that street lamps save the lives of ‘a significant number’ of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists each year.
Report author Fiona Beyer says, “The study shows the number of all crashes is decreased by street lighting and all types of injuries are reduced – particularly fatal crashes.”
The study found that the introduction of street lighting reduced the number of accidents by 45% on average, but there was a higher incidence of fatal accidents when lights were not present.
Last year it was revealed that one in five local authorities were switching off street lamps late at night to save money and cut carbon dioxide emissions.
