18. Sir GIFFORDFOXasked the Minister of Transport the percentage per thousand of the total population of the country killed in road accidents during each of the past two years up to December, 1934?
§ The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Mr. Hore-Belisha)The number of persons killed in road accidents in Great Britain per hundred thousand of the total population was 15.9 in 1933 and 16.2 in 1934.
§ 49. Sir HENRY JACKSONasked the Minister of Transport what is the percentage increase or reduction in the numbers of those killed and injured on the roads in the first three months of this year as compared with the first three months of last year; and what is the percentage increase or decrease in the number of mechanically-propelled vehicles in the same period?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAThe number of persons killed and injured on the roads in Great Britain during the first three months of this year is estimated to have been 6 per cent. less than the number in the corresponding period of 1934, while there were approximately 12 per cent. more mechanically-propelled road vehicles licensed. To express this percentage reduction in actual numbers, there has been a reduction of over 30 per day in the number of those killed and injured, or a total of 2,845 in the period, while the number of motor vehicles licensed has increased by 224,237, that is at the rate of 600 per day on every day for the last 12 months.
§ Mr. THORNEWill the hon. Gentleman keep a similar record of the number of people killed by commercial vehicles and by private motor cars?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI think that those particulars will be disclosed in the analysis I am having made for the current year.
§ Mr. HANNONMay I ask my hon. Friend whether, having regard to the information he has given to the House, the new 30-mile limit is not working very satisfactorily?
§ 22. Mr. BANFIELD (for Mr. WEST)asked the Minister of Transport how many inquiries into cases of accidents have been initiated under section 23, Sub-section (1), of the Road Traffic Act, 1930?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAThe circumstances of a large number of accidents are investigated as a matter of course by my Divisional Road Engineers or by the certifying officers of the Ministry. Public inquiries are, however, rarely held, and it has only been found necessary to adopt the procedure provided for in the Road Traffic Act in six instances.
§ 39. Mr. WHITESIDE (for Mr. HUTCHISON)asked the Minister of 1136 Transport whether in future he will arrange for statistics provided by his Department to distinguish between accidents in built-up areas and accidents outside such areas?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI have arranged that separate particulars will be given in the analysis of fatal road accidents in 1935 which I propose to issue in due course. In the meantime it may be of interest to the House to know that for the fortnight ended 30th March, 1935, representing the first two weeks of the speed limit, there was a reduction of 16 per cent. in the numbers of persons killed and injured in county police districts and a reduction of 21.5 per cent. in city and town police districts, compared with the corresponding period in 1934.
§ Lieut.-Colonel MOORE-BRABAZONWill my hon. Friend pay particular attention to the discrimination in the statistics between private cars and cars that were previously subject to speed regulations under the last Act?
§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAI am trying to make the statistics as full as possible. I hope they will contain that information.