§ 35. Mr. FlynnWhat is his estimate of the numbers of road fatalities that result from the use of medicinal drugs. [30657]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonNo such estimate is available. A survey that my Department is conducting found medicinal drugs present in 6 per cent. of road user fatalities—only 4 per cent. in the case of drivers—but their presence does not necessarily mean that they were a factor in causing the fatality.
§ Mr. FlynnThe Government are to be congratulated on being the first Government to take practical steps to deal with the dangers of drug driving. As my hon. Friend knows, the trial can identify only a small number of problems involving medicinal drugs. As she is aware, 100 million prescriptions are issued every year for medicines which, if taken according to instructions, will leave drivers' reactions as impaired as if they had drunk an equivalent quantity of alcohol. Will my hon. Friend give more attention to the matter, as medicinal drugs are the major drugs that cause accidents?
§ Ms JacksonI believe that my hon. Friend is confusing the incidence of drugs in road fatalities and the cause of such accidents. In our survey to date, 16 per cent. of the fatalities—drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists—had evidence of an illicit drug in their bodies. The incidence for drivers was 18 per cent. Six per cent. had evidence of medicinal drugs. For drivers, the incidence was 4 per cent. Compared to a survey 10 years ago, that represents a fourfold increase in the incidence of illicit drugs, but very little change in the incidence of prescription drugs. However, road fatalities and serious 853 casualties overall have fallen by more than a third during those 10 years, so it is extremely difficult to judge the road safety implications of drug use.
§ Rev. Martin SmythI welcome the Minister's statement. Does she share the concern of diabetic people who feel that they are discriminated against by the new regulations coming out of Europe?
§ Ms JacksonI should be extremely sorry if there were a sense of discrimination with regard to insulin-treated diabetics. Since 1991, they have been prohibited from holding licences to drive large goods vehicles and buses, and, as a consequence of the United Kingdom's implementation of the second EC driving licence directive, the prohibition extends to licences to drive lorries between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes and minibuses with nine to 16 seats. Licences to drive cars, restricted to a maximum of three years at a time, continue to be granted to insulin-treated diabetics, subject to satisfactory health checks at each renewal. The road safety dangers associated with drivers treated with insulin have been recognised for many years—it can lead to hypoglycaemia, which in turn can result in loss of consciousness, in some cases without warning.