§ 48. Mr. STOURTONasked the Minister of Transport if he will consider enforcing upon all county and municipal authorities the use of non-skid road surface material as a means to deal effectively with one of the principal causes of road accidents?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of TRANSPORT (Lieut.-Colonel Headlam)It is the practice of my Department to press upon highway authorities the use of road-surfacing materials which afford a non-slippery surface. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a Circular issued by the Ministry of Transport in March, 1929, which, as he will see, contains detailed technical advice on the subject.
§ Mr. STOURTONWhy has not this elementary precaution against road accidents been taken long since?
§ Mr. O'CONNORAre there any statistics in the possession of the Ministry to show in what number of accidents the element of road surface enters?
§ Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAMWe are hoping to produce before very long statistics on road accidents which I think may give my hon. and learned Friend the information that he requires.
§ Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELis it not the case that within the last two or three years the number of deaths has greatly increased?
§ Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAMI am quite aware of the number of accidents on the road.