§ 40. Sir I. Fraserasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that some motor-cars use open or strong headlights, he will allow all motor-cars to use the same standard of headlighting in order to contribute to safety on the roads and to facilitate travelling.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThe standard of lighting for motor-car headlamps is the same for all vehicles. As regards the remainder of the Question, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr. Jewson) on 5th October.
§ Sir I. FraserWill my right hon. Friend consider that even if the standard is the same, the practice is not, and there is real danger when driving down the Great West Road and other roads where perhaps one car out of five, or out of ten, has a full headlight and all the rest have dimmed headlights; has not the time come when we can at least have lighting on the roads and so save some of the lives which we are losing?
§ Mr. MorrisonI agree with the hon. and gallant Member that, if it be the case that some people are breaking our law, it is our duty to do something about it. If particulars are given to me, I will take them up with the appropriate authorities with pleasure and with energy, even if they are cases which concern Allied Forces. But I cannot see that it necessarily follows that because somebody on the road has blazing headlights, it would be more safe if everybody had blazing headlights.
§ Sir I. FraserWill the right hon. Gentleman take a drive down there and see for himself, as anyone who motors knows, that it is dangerous to have different kinds of lighting?
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeThe right hon. Gentleman in a reply last week on the subject, undertook to approach the authorities on the subject of bright lights on lorries. Has he in fact done so?
§ Mr. MorrisonI do not know that I did give that undertaking. If I did, we probably have done so.