Written question asked by Matthew Offord (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 January 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 January 2020. It was answered by George Freeman (Conservative) on Thursday, 16 January 2020 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Accidents

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of street lighting on trends in the level of road traffic accidents.

Answer: It is for each highway authority responsible for street lighting in their area to decide the level of service they wish their street lighting network to deliver. No assessment has been made by the Department for Transport on the effects of street lighting with regard to the trend in road traffic accidents. Statistics on personal injury road accidents reported to the police, published by the Department for Transport, show that of the reported accidents in darkness in Great Britain in 2018, 72% occurred with lights lit, compared with 18% where there was no lighting provision, 3% with lights unlit and 7% with lighting unknow. It is important that highway authorities consider safety, cost and environmental savings before determining their lighting provision.

Secondary information