§ Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Minister of Transport (1) what research she has instituted into the extent to which accidends have been, wholly or partly, attributed to structural defects in cars traceable to the incomplete repair of previous serious damage;
(2) what measures she proposes for tightening up the conditions subject to which cars, written off after accidents, may be repaired and put back on the road.
§ Mr. CarmichaelWe have made no special study of the extent to which accidents might be attributable to structural defects in cars inadequately repaired following serious damage.
Section 68 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960, already prohibits the sale of a motor vehicle if it is in an unroadworthy condition. Two further measures against unroadworthy cars have recently been introduced. First, Section 3 of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 1967, empowers police officers and Ministry examiners to enter premises where used cars are offered for sale for the purpose of ascertaining whether they are roadworthy. Secondly, insurers now send the registration books of vehicles "written off" to local taxation officers for endorsement to the effect that the vehicle has been seriously damaged and the subject of a total loss settlement.