HC Deb 13 January 1971 vol 809 cc54-5
26. Mr. Galbraith

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage of motor accidents where impaired vision was a contributory cause.

Mr. Younger

I regret that this information is not available.

Mr. Galbraith

Would it not be possible for my hon. Friend to find this out? The increase in the number of accidents is a matter for concern. May it not well be that, as people grow older, their eyesight should be tested in the same way as the mechanical facilities of their cars are tested?

Mr. Younger

I am sympathetic to what my hon. Friend says, but this is strictly a question for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, who is responsible for the conditions upon which driving licences are issued. On the particular point, I think that my hon. Friend may agree that it would be difficult to expect anyone at the site of an accident to express an opinion whether the accident was due to defective eyesight in a driver concerned, as that is not assessable without a detailed medical opinion.