§ 25. Mr. Patrick Maitlandasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the number of accidents, fatal and causing bodily injury, respectively, which have occurred each year since the war on the Stirling-Carlisle road opposite Burnwood Camp, Carluke, Lanarkshire.
§ Mr. MolsonAs the Answer consists of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. MaitlandIn thanking my hon. Friend for that rather uninformative and unforthcoming Answer, may I ask him whether he will give some indication of the trend of the figures?
§ Mr. MolsonIn the last ten years there have been one fatal casualty and six nonfatal casualties.
§ Mr. MaitlandCan my hon. Friend say what they were due to? Is there a common cause?
§ Mr. MolsonNo, Sir. They were due to divergent causes.
§ Following is the Answer:
| ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PERSONAL INJURY ON THE STRLING-CARLISLE ROAD AT OR NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO BURNWOOD CAMP, CARLUKE, LANARKSHIRE | ||||
| — | Fatal | Non-fatal | ||
| 1946 | … | … | — | 1 |
| 1947 | … | … | — | — |
| 1948 | … | … | — | — |
| 1949 | … | … | — | — |
| 1950 | … | … | — | — |
| 1951 | … | … | — | 2 |
| 1952 | … | … | — | — |
| 1953 | … | … | — | — |
| 1954 | … | … | — | 1 |
| 1955 | … | … | 1 | 2 |
§ 26. Mr. Patrick Maitlandasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the circumstances in which a fatal accident took place on the Stirling Carlisle road opposite Burnwood Camp, Carluke, on 18th December, 1955.
§ Mr. MolsonI am informed that this accident resulted from a collision between a 3-ton lorry and a 14-cwt. van. The driver of the van was killed and his son, who was a passenger, seriously injured. The accident is to be the subject of a fatal accident inquiry which will be held by the Sheriff under the Fatal Accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Acts. My hon. Friend will appreciate that until the inquiry has taken place it would not be proper for me to comment.
§ Mr. MaitlandIs my hon. Friend aware, and will he draw the inquiry's attention to the fact, that it has been widely stated that this accident, like others before it, was due to a pothole which has been in this road for fifteen years, and is not it possible to fill up a pothole?
§ Mr. MolsonI have no doubt that many statements will be made before the inquiry, and that in cases where such things can be substantiated evidence will be produced.
§ 27. Mr. Pageasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation upon what considerations he bases his decisions to hold or not to hold an inquiry into any particular road accident.
§ Mr. WatkinsonInvestigations into road accidents are carried out by the 197 police in the normal course of their duties. Serious accidents involving goods vehicles or public service vehicles are also investigated by officers of my Department. An inquiry under Section 23 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, is held when it seems desirable to investigate more closely the causes of a particular accident, especially where it seems likely that such an investigation may suggest measures for obviating similar accidents in the future.
§ Mr. PageHas not the power under Section 23 been used very sparingly in the past years? Does not my right hon. Friend think that he could obtain more information from detailed inquiries into a number of road accidents, in the same way as railway accidents are inquired into, rather than by relying on the rather unreliable statistics of the police?
§ Mr. WatkinsonI will certainly look into that matter, but I cannot give an answer now.