§ 52. Mr. Remnantasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation what percentage of accidents on the roads occur in towns and villages, main roads outside towns and secondary roads.
§ Mr. MolsonRoad accident figures do not draw the exact distinction made by my hon. Friend in his Question, but his two categories correspond fairly closely with roads subject to a speed limit and those not so subject.
In 1955, 72 per cent. of the casualties in road accidents occurred on roads subject to a speed limit. The latest figures available giving more detail of the kind asked for relate to 1952, in which year also 72 per cent. of the casualties occurred on roads subject to a speed limit. The 28 per cent. on roads not subject to a speed limit were then made up of 2 per cent. on roads in the Metropolitan Police District; 20 per cent. on trunk, class I and class II roads outside that district; and 6 per cent. on other roads.
§ Mr. RemnantCan my right hon. Friend say whether that pattern is a continuing one since the war, or is it changing as the years go by?
§ Mr. MolsonBroadly, it is a continuing pattern. If we take the figures for accidents as opposed to casualties in 1955, we find that 76 per cent. of all accidents involving personal injury occurred on 395 roads with speed limits, and that 24 per cent. occurred on roads without speed limits.
Mr. J. T. PriceWill the right hon. Gentleman resist the temptation to draw false conclusions from these figures? Is he aware that the mere fact that 76 per cent. of accidents occurred on roads with speed limits does not suggest anything in the nature of removing the speed limit, but merely that the speed-limited roads are in centres of denser population where it is more likely that more people are resident?
§ Mr. MolsonI think that is an entirely correct deduction to draw from the figures.