How To Drive: In winter

The clocks went back on Sunday. According to the AA, road accident rates across the UK will now go up by a staggering 11 per cent during the fortnight that follows, at least if last year’s numbers are replicated.

Quietly, the AA expects accident numbers to rise further still this year because we’re all feeling a bit jumpy about stuff right now – world peace, the autumn budget, the prospect of a raving lunatic re-entering the White House and so on.

So what can you do?

Numerous studies have been carried out to establish how and why road accident rates go up so much in the weeks that follow the clock change – and then seem to calm down again once we’ve all got used to the fact it’s darker and more slippery. Yet each year we have the same old debate then do precisely nothing about it. The clocks go back, we run into each other more than we did the week before – even heart attack rates go up by all accounts – then we reacclimatise and situation normal is resumed (hopefully).