The clocks have gone back again, but it may be time for a rethink

Women feel at risk on darker streets and road accidents rise. Could year-round British Summer Time help?

- Jessica Hayden & James Tapper

Many women feel they have to alter their training routes on darker nights.

(Getty)

As the clocks go back and Britain slips into its early-evening darkness, many people are preparing to adapt their routines. But for most women, the dark nights come with one particular shift: changing their exercise habits.

According to figures from Sport England, 72% of women in the UK change their outdoor exercise habits at this time of year, a pattern that has become an unwelcome fixture of the British winter. Safety, for women, has become seasonal.

It is the latest in a long line of evidence showing that the shift from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time is bad for us. Several studies have linked the clocks going back to an increased risk of heart attack. A 2019 study found that on the Monday after clocks go forward in spring, sleep-deprived workers in the US have more injuries while at work, and those injuries tend to be worse.