§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if any special action will be taken to attempt to reduce the number of road accidents in Northern Ireland over the Christmas and new year period.
§ Mr. John PattenYes. I understand that a Royal Ulster Constabulary campaign is to be announced shortly.
§ Mr. Peter Robinsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many of the road accidents occurring during the Christmas and new year period over the last five years resulted in (a) death and (b) serious injury; and what were the full casualty figures;
(2) how many road accidents have taken place in Northern Ireland over the Christmas and new year period in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information is as follows:
Christmas period No. of accidents No. of deaths No. of injuries 23–27 Dec. 1977 79 8 115 22–26 Dec. 1978 82 5 122 21–26 Dec. 1979 82 6 118 23–27 Dec. 1980 74 3 106 23–28 Dec. 1981 93 6 138
New year period No. of accidents No. of deaths No. of injuries 31 Dec. 1977 and 1 Jan 1978 28 1 24 31 Dec. 1978 and 1 Jan. 1979 17 0 20 31 Dec. 1979 and 1 Jan. 1980 14 0 18 31 Dec. 1980 and 1 Jan. 1981 27 1 43 31 Dec. 1981 and 1 Jan. 1982 37 3 61 Information about the seriousness of injuries is not readily available from police records and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.