§ 10. Mr. Farey-Jonesasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what investigations have been carried out by the Road Research Laboratory on the relative safety of laminated and toughened glass for use in motor vehicles.
§ Mr. H. NichollsToughened glass, which is fitted in about 90 per cent. of cars for the home market, is liable to disintegrate when struck by a stone. The laboratory's investigations have shown, however, that the occupant of a vehicle is seldom hurt by the glass fragments, as they have rounded edges, and that very few accidents are caused by the loss of 181 vision which occurs when the glass shatters. On the other hand, laminated glass, when broken, has very sharp cutting edges, and injury is frequently sustained when passengers are thrown against windscreens of this type.
§ Mr. Farey-JonesI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. In view of a rather calamitous recent experience on the roads, can any steps be taken to make glass less opaque when it is shattered?
§ Mr. NichollsThat is the object of much of the research. In concert with the industry, the laboratory is examining with the British Standards Institution the specification for toughened safety glass, to see how far the fragment size of the glass particles can be increased so as to increase the amount of vision. I am told that possibly the best way of dealing with a windscreen of this kind is to put one's fist through it once it has been glazed over, but that requires a quick reaction.