THE end of British Summertime tonight means an extra hour in bed. But the consequences of our annual tamper with time go beyond a national lie-in.

The longer-term effect of putting the clocks back will become obvious later tomorrow. Darkness will descend before the afternoon has departed. And that self-inflicted gloom is a major hazard, argues the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. It believes more than 100 lives each year could be saved if British summertime was extended all year round.

From now until spring, children will leave school shortly before dark. RoSPA believes that this puts them at greater risk of injury on the roads. Its argument has never been properly tested. A generation ago, British summertime was extended as an experiment. Surprisingly, the number of accidents initially increased.

This led MPs to panic and abandon the trial half-way through. Subsequently the debate was never settled.

Today there are other issues involved in putting our clocks back.

Business is conducted in the global market place. Most British exporters deal with the European Union. The difference in our time zones reduces the chances to trade by an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. This frustration is increased for those who travel to the Continent. It is a small, but significant, irritation for regular travellers to have to constantly adjust to the new time at each end of their journey.

But the signs are not good for those lobbying for constant British summertime. They look unlikely to win an early victory.

Perhaps ministers might eventually be convinced to launch a second trial run, and this time see the experiment through. Then we would at last be acquainted with the advantages and pitfalls of the system.

In the meantime, we must all remain aware that dark nights mean danger. Simple measures, like ensuring our children wear reflective safety bands, will help to cut the heartache this winter.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.