Highway campaigners have warned of the potential safety risk that could be created by the Highways Agency, who have stated that an eight-mile stretch of the M6 will become the seventh site in Britain to have its streetlights shut off between the hours of midnight and 5am.  The move emphasises the importance of full insurance and UK breakdown cover for those travelling in the area.

Responsible for over 4,000 miles of motorway, those responsible for the decision have stated that the nightly switch off will make a massive saving on carbon emissions, and even make an impact on light pollution.

The increasing number of motorway switch offs has been impacted by local councils, one in five of whom began to switch off streetlamps during the early hours of the morning to save money and emissions.

Whilst the Highways Agency does admit the potential for an increase in accidents, they noted that the impact would be so small that it would only equate to the equivalent of one injury-causing accident every 25 years.

The Area Performance Manager for Lancashire, Mr Andy Withington, stated that only quiet stretches of road would be chosen, and that accident hot-spots such as junctions would still be well lit.  Mr Withington also claimed that the switch off could lead to a saving of up to 40% in the area of carbon emissions.

Whilst the switch off does emphasise safety and the importance of sufficient UK breakdown cover, the Director of Policy and Research at the IAM Motoring Trust Mr Neil Greig stated that there was currently ‘no evidence’ of accident risk increasing, despite the Trust’s initial concerns.

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