The AA, which issued the advice, warned that the low-lying sun causes visibility problems for motorists when sunlight reflects off wet roads.
The clocks go back by an hour at 2am on Sunday, which will mean evenings become darker earlier.
Figures from the AA’s Accident Assist service show it recorded an average of 11% more crashes across the UK in the three weeks after the end of British Summer Time between 2022 and 2024, compared with the preceding three weeks.
The AA attributed this to “the likelihood of inclement weather” and darker evenings “catching some drivers out”.
Tim Rankin, managing director for AA Accident Assist, said: “Darker evenings seem to be catching some drivers out after the clocks go back, which has led to more collisions on the roads.
“Many of these crashes could have been avoided by simply keeping up with vehicle checks or by adjusting to autumn driving.
“Arguably, the best change would be to double the gap advice in the Highway Code, and leave a four-second gap between your car and the vehicle in front.
“Most incidents involve a car running into the back of another, so allowing more time to stop could be the difference between a near-miss and an expensive claim.
“During the day, low-lying sun can blind drivers, especially after a downpour where the glare bounces off the wet road.
“Keeping a pair of sunglasses close by can help drivers see the road ahead.”
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When do the clocks go back?
In autumn the clocks will go back at 2.00am on the final Sunday of October, which this year falls on Sunday, October 26.
It means an extra hour in bed for your Sunday lie-in and will give an extra hour of daylight as the darker nights roll in.
Do I need to change the clocks myself?
In the majority of cases, the days of manually changing your clocks are long gone.
Any device connected to the internet such as smartphones, televisions, laptops and tablets will change automatically.
However – be careful – alarm clocks, car radios and other devices not connected to the internet will need to be adjusted manually.
Why do we change the clocks?
The principal reason we change the clocks is to get the most out of the daylight.
The first clock change was introduced by the German government in 1916 during the first world war as a means of saving energy – the longer the daylight hours lasted, the less electricity required.
Many European governments followed suit, including Britain, and so was born BST, with the current system in place since 1971.
