Cyclists and pedestrians are also being advised to ‘be seen and be safe’ as the end of British Summer Time approaches. The accident prevention charity is recommending that cyclists wear brightly-coloured or fluorescent clothing in daylight and reflective clothing or accessories in the dark, while pedestrians, including joggers, are being reminded that it is hard for motorists to see them if they are wearing dark clothing.

Statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) showed a 10% rise in the number of cyclists killed on Great Britain’s roads, with 118 dying in 2012. The number of child cyclists killed doubled to 13 and the number of seriously injured cyclists rose to 3,222.

Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA’s chief executive said: ‘Although road deaths on the whole are going down, it is a huge concern to see a rise in the number of cyclists killed on our roads, especially children.

‘We urge drivers to take extra care and vulnerable road users to be seen and be safe. But we also argue that an extra hour of evening daylight could help to save lives and reduce injuries during the colder, darker months. And that is why we will continue to push for Parliament to look again at supporting a move to Single/Double Summer Time.’

The charity adds that DfT research has shown that around 80 deaths and at least 200 serious injuries would be prevented on our roads each year if the UK switched to Single/Double Summer Time (SDST: GMT+1 in winter / GMT+2 in summer).