Car insurance claims in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK go up by an average of 11 per cent after British Summer Time ends each year, it is claimed.

Researchers at Zurich Connect came to the conclusion after monitoring car insurance claims over wintertime clock changes for the past three years.

They are now urging car insurance customers in Northern Ireland and the wider UK to take extra care on the roads, commenting that Daylight Saving has become "a dark week" on Britain's roads as accidents shoot up.

"It's possible that drivers get used to driving their regular routes in broad daylight, then find it hard to adjust to suddenly doing the same journey at the same time, but in the dark," said the car insurance specialist's Mike Quinton.

"Couple this with the fact that autumnal weather is often wet and windy, and the risk of having an accident on the road is significantly increased."

Some of the firm's top considerations for car insurance customers in Northern Ireland are to keep vehicle windows clean to reduce the glare from oncoming headlights, keep headlights free from dirt, check tyres regularly and keep washer fluid topped up.