Turning off street lights at night does not lead to more crime or traffic accidents, researchers have said.
But research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health based on 14 years of data from 62 local authorities across England and Wales found there was no evidence of any link between reduced street lighting and increased crime or traffic accidents.
The study, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in partnership with University College London, looked at councils that had implemented a range of reduced street light strategies including switching off lights permanently, reducing the number of hours that lamps are switched on at night, dimming lights, and replacing traditional orange lamps with energy-efficient white light LED lamps.
To assess crime, researchers looked at data from 2010 to 2013 to analyse how many crimes took place in different areas and what types of street lighting were used there.

They focused on offences more likely to occur at night, including burglary, theft of or from a vehicle, robbery, violence and sexual assault. Overall, there was no evidence of an association between reduced street lighting and increased crime.
They also looked at all roads in participating authorities, examining what type of street lighting was used and the number of traffic collisions that happened at night relative to the day during 2000 to 2013. They found no evidence of a link between reduced street lighting and night-time collisions.
Lead investigator Dr Phil Edwards, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “An estimated £300m is spent every year on street lights in the UK. At a time when local authorities need to make spending cuts, our findings show that by carefully assessing risks, street lighting can be reduced without an increase in car crashes and crime.”

bbabo.Net