§ Mr. Conwayasked the Secretary of State for Transport when the road casualty figures for the last quarter of 1985 will be published; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Department of Transport's statistics bulletin containing these figures was released this morning. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
In 1985 as a whole, there were 5,200 deaths in road accidents, lower than any year since 1954. Traffic in the same period has increased by 450 per cent.
72,000 people were seriously injured on the roads in 1985, the second lowest figure since 1958. Slight injuries were 243,000 and 1 per cent. lower than last year.
I welcome these reductions in casualties on Britain's roads, although they do nothing to alleviate the suffering of the victims and their families. In the end it is up to each one of us to use the roads safely to protect ourselves and others.