The East Midlands is the darkest region at night due to almost three in four street lights being turned off overnight.
New Freedom of Information Act research by insurers confused.com puts our region in the worst position for street light switch-offs, with 211,299 (72 per cent) of the region’s street lights switched off or dimmed during the night hours.
Just 14 per cent of the region’s 300,000 streetlights are left unaltered overnight. The data reveals a different picture elsewhere, with 79 per cent of lights left on, undimmed in Scotland and 87 per cent of London’s streetlights unaffected by the money-saving changes. The capital has 13 per cent of its street lights dimmed overnight and zero switched off or on part-night hours.
Lincolnshire County Council, which runs our streetlights, previously said the public will have to foot the bill if they want the lights back on.
Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, who commissioned the survey, said: “Street lights are installed for a reason, and that is to help drivers be fully aware of their surroundings and offer protection to pedestrians. And by switching these off in the East Midlands and across the rest of Britain, drivers really are left in the dark. Our interactive map shows just how many regions are plunged into complete darkness at night.
“Not being able to see the road clearly is a very daunting and confusing challenge drivers face. It is important they are extra vigilant and take extra care when driving in blacked-out areas as surroundings may not be very easy to see.”
The report states that 16 per cent of drivers asked have had an accident or a near miss while driving on unlit roads.
More than three in five (62 per cent) of the motorists who have driven in these conditions say the visibility of the road was compromised, while more than half (55 per cent) said the road ahead wasn’t very clear.
It isn’t just a murky vision which is knocking drivers’ confidence, as some also find it difficult to drive in general in darker conditions according to the survey results.
In fact, more than one in four (28 per cent) UK motorists admit they get confused while driving in the dark as they cannot see the road clearly, while a further one in four (25 per cent) cannot read the signs clearly.
