HC Deb 27 April 1981 vol 3 c335W
Mr. Gwilym Roberts

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will give figures of the number of accidents and deaths involving perambulators and pushchairs for each of the last 10 years; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures in the Official Report;

(2) if he will study the effectiveness of the 1979 regulations covering the stability, braking, and harness strength for perambulators and pushchairs; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Sally Oppenheim

Figures for accidents in the United Kingdom involving perambulators and pushchairs are not collected, but my Department's home accident surveillance system has, since 1977, collected information from a sample of 20 hospitals in England and Wales for accidents in and around the home. The sample figures for non-fatal accidents are:

Year Perambulators Pushchairs (including baby-buggies) Total
1977 98 80 178
1978 78 73 1551
1979 72 77 149
1980 129* 149* 278*
* As accidents from faulty perambulators and pushchairs are likely to occur mostly away from home the system was temporarily extended to cover such cases from 1 July 1980.

A breakdown by age of the 1980 figures shows:

Age of victim Perambulators Pushchairs (including baby-buggies)
Under 1 year 75 45
1 year old 21 47
2 years old 11 25
3 years old 3 11
4 years old — 5
5–16 years 8 6
Over 16 11 10
All ages 129 149

My Department and its predecessors received reports of seven deaths involving perambulators and eight involving pushchairs during the years 1971 to 1980, inclusive; there may be other deaths that were not reported to the Department.

These figures do not provide a guide to the effectiveness of the Perambulators and Pushchairs (Safety) Regulations 1978, because the regulations apply only to new perambulators and pushchairs, and also because the cause of the accidents may not lie in the product. My Department is therefore trying to ascertain more about the causes and other details by correspondence and interviews with the parents of the children involved in the accidents that occurred after 1 July 1980.