§ 24. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has studied the effect of the 1 mm tread depth legislation standards of tyres in the United Kingdom; whether he is aware that foreign countries including the United States of America, statutorily require up to a minimum of 1.59 mm tread; and, having regard to safety considerations of tread depth at the minimum of 2 mm, whether he will introduce legislation to that effect.
§ Mr. PeytonI have no evidence to suggest that such an increase would have a significant effect on accidents.
§ Sir G. NabarroDoes not my right hon. Friend recognise that probably the largest single area of road accidents is caused by faulty tyres, and that the United States of America has long recognised that by imposing a minimum depth of tread of 1.59 mm, which is nearly 60 per cent. greater than that extant in the United Kingdom? As it has proved entirely successful in the United States, why could not we benefit from its advanced technology?
§ Mr. PeytonI should be the last person to deny the importance of good tyres for the motorist. They represent his only contact with the track. It is very important that the tread should be in good condition. On the other hand, I doubt whether much would be gained from imposing a fairly considerable extra cost on the motorist, as my hon. Friend has suggested.
§ Mr. William HamiltonAre there any statistics in the right hon. Gentleman's Department to show how many accidents are caused in this manner and how many are caused by people driving round roundabouts the wrong way?
§ Mr. PeytonThey are not as precise as I am sure the hon. Gentleman would like them to be.