HC Deb 21 November 1956 vol 560 cc1729-30
30. Mr. Page

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he will make a statement on the progress of the "Mind That Child" campaign for the safety of children on the roads.

Mr. Watkinson

Substantial progress has been made since the "Mind That Child" campaign was launched by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself on 4th September. Local road safety committees and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have joined with us in carrying on the campaign with great vigour, and we have received much help from many individuals and organisations. I am particularly pleased that more local authorities are taking part than in any previous road safety campaign. I will circulate some further details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Page

While congratulating my right hon. Friend on the progress made in this campaign up to the present, may I ask him whether he does not think that better progress might have been made if the propaganda in pamphlets and posters had been directed to all road users? Is he aware that so far the campaign has been directed only towards pedestrians, cyclists and commercial drivers, and that no pamphlets or posters have been issued by way of direction to the ordinary motorist?

Mr. Watkinson

I am not quite sure what my hon. Friend means, but if he means that it is wrong to concentrate on a specific objective in a road safety campaign, I do not agree with him. I think one must concentrate on specific objects if one wants to get good results. Although I think we must treat the figures with some reserve at this stage, I am very glad to say that in the first two months of the campaign 24 fewer children were killed on the roads than in the same two months last year.

Following is the information: Provisional figures show that in the first two months of the campaign there were 24 fewer children killed on the roads than in the same two months of 1955. While this result is encouraging, it should not be taken as a comprehensive measure of the value of the campaign. I hope its spirit and its effects will continue long after its official ending in nine days' time and will lead to a progressive improvement in the safety of children on the roads. The movement to provide more and better training facilities for child cyclists is gathering momentum. During October more than 5,000 children passed the Cycling Proficiency Test of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.