§ Mr. HOUSTONasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the accidents, sometimes fatal, arising from the reckless and careless driving of motor omnibuses, taxi-cabs, and other mechanically propelled vehicles in London; whether, with a view to prevent or minimise these accidents, he will limit the speed of these vehicles to not exceeding sixteen miles per hour within a radius of six miles from Charing Cross; whether he is aware that many accidents arise from mechanically propelled vehicles issuing at a high speed from side streets into main streets or roads and at cross roads or streets; whether he will institute legislation making such reckless driving punishable by substantial fine or imprisonment; 815W and whether he will apply such legislation to other large towns and cities?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLYes, Sir. I receive from the Commissioner of Police monthly returns of accidents caused by motor and horse-drawn vehicles in the Metropolitan Police District, and doubtless a number of these occur at intersecting points of traffic. As I pointed out on the 12th April, in reply to a question from the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland, motor omnibuses are limited to a speed of twelve miles per hour, but there is no power to fix by general regulation a lower maximum speed for taxi-cabs than that fixed by Parliament, twenty miles per hour, and these maxima of twelve and twenty miles respectively apply to all motor vehicles according as they come within the definition of heavy motor cars or not. There are, of course, certain limits in which the speed is restricted by order of the Local Government Board to ten miles an hour or less, and by by-law the maximum is twelve miles in the Royal parks and eight miles in certain parks controlled by the London County Council. As regards the suggestion of legislation to punish reckless driving, I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the powers under the existing law and particularly to Section 1 of the Motor Car Act, 1903.
§ Mr. HOUSTONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that accidents to pedestrians, caused by mechanically propelled vehicles, arise from the carelessness or wilful neglect of such pedestrians, who, in many instances, would appear to invite accident by reason of unnecessarily walking or standing in the streets or roads, although provision is made in such streets or roads for pedestrians; and whether anything will be done by legislation, or otherwise, to require or enforce greater caution and prudence on the part of pedestrians?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNo doubt accidents are caused sometimes by pedestrians walking or standing unnecessarily in the road way, instead of on the footpath; but persons have the right to walk in the road, and are entitled to the exercise of reasonable care on the part of persons driving vehicles. If the serious and immediate dangers to which careless pedestrians are exposed are insufficient to enforce caution and prudence, I do not think any minor penalties the law might inflict are likely to be more effective.