§ 20. Mr. C. Osborneasked the Minister of Transport if, in order to reduce the number of road accidents, he will consult with the leading insurance companies to devise a common policy to the effect that 430 the guilty driver shall be made to bear the first £25 of the cost of any accident and the first £50 third-party compensation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MarplesI am not satisfied that my hon. Friend's suggestion, in the form in which he has put it, would not involve the possibility of serious injustice to injured parties, but I propose to discuss the whole question of road safety with representatives of the insurance companies and underwritters.
§ Mr. OsborneMay I say how grateful I am to my right hon. Friend for that promise? If the way in which I have put the suggestion is not acceptable, will he not agree that the very fact that motorists think that accidents do not matter because the insurance companies will pay causes them to be more careless? If in some way the guilty party could be made to pay, it would have some effect in stopping accidents.
§ Mr. MarplesThere are two points I should like to make. The first is the question of determining who is guilty. It often costs a very great sum of money. Lawyers are an expensive luxury to some people. Therefore, it is very difficult to apportion the blame. Quite frankly, in my view I do not think a cash fine is a deterrent. I think it is less effective than suspension of the driving licence.
§ Mr. PagetSpeaking as an expensive luxury, may I ask the Minister to bear in mind that, if any proposal of this sort goes through, insurance companies should not be allowed to insert a clause in their policies entitling them to settle claims upon the basis that their clients are to blame?
§ Mr. MarplesI have noted that suggestion very humbly, and I am glad that it has not cost me anything to note it.
33. Mrs. Butlerasked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the safety problem involved where heavy lorries and other vehicles cut across housing estates in which many children play and go to and from school; and if he will arrange for a special study to be made of the problem, with a view to reducing the risk of accidents on such estates.
§ Mr. MarplesI have no reason to think that the responsible authorities are not conscious of the dangers of roads in housing estates and of the ways to guard against them. If the hon. Member has any particular road or area in mind and will let me have details, I will be glad to have inquiries made.
Mrs. ButlerWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that reply, may I ask if he realises that it puts local authorities in great difficulty when schemes they submit to him—such as the one for the Noel Park Estate of Wood Green—are turned down and when the alternative suggestions which he makes have already been tried out and found to be unsatisfactory? As this is a common problem throughout the country, would it not be useful if he could get information on it and circulate it to all local authorities, so that they could benefit from successful experimentation in other places?
§ Mr. MarplesIt is difficult to produce at the centre plans which meet the needs of all local authorities. It should be the reverse—local authorities should produce plans and these should come to the centre. I will look into the case which the hon. Lady has made, but without notice I could not answer it.