§ Mr. Aitkenasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many rear seat car passengers died during 1983 as a result of road accidents; by what proportion that figure would have been reduced if the wearing of rear seat belts had been compulsory; and if he will publish the statistical evidence on which the answer is based.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to the reply, 17 January 1984, c. 60]: The answer, correctly attributing the figures to "seat belt not fitted" is as follows:
In the nine months to September 1983, it is provisionally estimated that 220 rear seat car occupants were killed. Figures for 1982 were as follows:
385W
Rear seat car casualties: Great Britain: 1982 Killed Seriously injured Slightly injured All severities Seat belt worn* 8 75 609 692 Seat belt fitted, but not worn 16 338 1,723 2.077 Seat belt not fined 220 3,171 12,208 15,599 Seat belt wearing not reported 49 734 3,363 4,146
Fatal and Serious Injuries as a proportion of all Injuries (percentage) Percentage Seat belt worn* 12 Seat belt not worn or not fitted 21 * Includes child safety harness. No surveys of overall rear-seat wearing rates have been undertaken, so that the efficacy of rear seat belts in saving injuries cannot be calculated. However, the relative proportion of fatal and serious injuries for seat belt wearers is about half that for non-wearers, and this suggests considerable scope for savings if more seat belts were worn.