§ Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many accidents on roads in the United Kingdom for the years 1967, 1968, 1969, and the latest figures, were due to the jackknifing of articulated vehicles;
(2) if he will make proposals for the compulsory use of anti-jack-knifing equipment on articulated vehicles:
(3) how many road haulage firms in the United Kingdom use anti-jack-knifing devices on their vehicles.
§ Mr. PeytonAll the information requested is not available. In Great Britain 203W in 1969, the only full year for which figures are available, 716 articulated vehicles jack-knifed in injury accidents. Jack-knifing could have been either the cause or the result of the accidents; the statistics do not enable these cases to be distinguished. I have no means of knowing how many firms are using anti-jackknifing equipment, but some such equipment is now being fitted to virtually all new articulated tractors.
It would not be wise to enforce the use of anti-jack-knifing equipment before completion of work now in progress to test redesigned versions of some of the devices and to resolve maintenance problems with others.
United Kingdom metres West Germany metres France metres Italy metres Belgium metres Holland metres United States* feet Maximum length— rigid lorry 11 12 11 11 11 11 40 articulated lorry 15 15 15 14 15 15 55 rigid lorry/drawbar trailer 18 18 18 18 18 18 65 Maximum width— rigid lorry 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 8 articulated lorry rigid lorry/drawbar trailer Maximum height— rigid lorry Not specified 4 3.8 4 4 4 13½ articulated lorry rigid lorry/drawbar trailer tons tons tons tons tons tons tons Maximum laden weight— rigid lorry 28 22 26 18 26 24 32 articulated lorry 32 38 35† 32 38 50 rigid lorry/drawbar trailer 32 38 35† 36 40 50 * In the United States of America the limits vary from State to State: those shown are the limits most widely in force. † An increase to 38 tons is reported to be imminent.