THE glare of the low-lying autumn sun has been blamed for causing more than 200 road accidents in Scotland last year, according to figures highlighted by the AA.
The problem, which becomes particularly severe for drivers as the seasons change in October, was said to be behind 222 crashes across Scotland in 2013.
The majority of crashes happened in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, where there were 42 incidents. South Lanarkshire was also identified as a danger spot, with 20 accidents.
Last year the low sun was blamed as a factor in the death of financial adviser Christopher Groves and his son, Connor, nine, at Bothwell Bridge in South Lanarkshire.
The pair died when their blue Honda S2000 smashed through a crash barrier and plunged into the River Clyde in poor visibility and as a lorry blocked one lane of the dual carriageway.
The number of incidents in Scotland was down on 2012, when there were 246 crashes attributed to drivers being blinded by the sun, while in 2011 there were 189.
AA president Edmund King warned that the risky driving conditions created by the sun at peak rush hours during this time of year meant it was particularly dangerous for those using the roads for other reasons.
He said: "Many slower and more vulnerable road users - joggers, dog walkers, pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders - will be trying to take advantage of the last of the light evenings before the clocks go back. All road users need to be fully aware of the potential twilight dangers.
"Joggers, dog walkers, workers returning home on foot and other pedestrians walking with their backs to vehicles are almost twice as likely to be killed or seriously injured in road accidents.
"Research conducted for the AA, from official 2004 pedestrian casualty statistics, shows that 10.8 per cent of the 5,566 pedestrians killed or seriously injured when in the road were walking or running with their backs to the traffic. This compares with 5.9 per cent of the casualties who were facing oncoming cars."
According to the AA's statistics, 3,900 road users a year are injured after being dazzled by the sun, with drivers in north-west England the worst affected.
The AA said that in north-west England, an average of 2.2 people were killed or injured for each reported sun-dazzle accident - well above the national average of 1.4. Another badly affected area is Yorkshire and Humberside where the figure is 1.6.
Mr King added: "European research also shows the rate of head-on crashes involving lorries nearly quadruples in twilight conditions. Although up to 10 per cent of accidents in which trucks leave the road, roll over, hit each other head-on or up the back happen in twilight conditions, up to 40 per cent of head-on accidents with cars happen when the sun is low in the sky. They also tend to happen on rural roads."
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