§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the annual figure, in each year from 1970 to 1985, of traffic fatalities in England and Wales; and what proportions were caused by drunk-driving.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe figures are given in "Road Accidents Great Britain 1984" (table 3, page 51), a copy of which is in the Library. Causes of accidents are not recorded, but an article on pages 25–29 of the same publication concludes that in 1984 one in four deaths were in accidents where a driver or pedestrian had consumed excess alcohol.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the total cost in the United Kingdom of drunk-driving fatalities and injuries in each year since 1980.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyPrecise figures are not available. Background information on the cost of road casualties and on the availability of data on drinking and driving in Great Britain is included in "Road Accidents Great Britain 1984". A copy is in the Library. Information from Northern Ireland is collected in a slightly different form.
A broad assessment of the approximate costs of fatalities and injuries in accidents involving drunken drivers in the United Kingdom for the years 1980–1984 is as follows:
£ million 1985 prices fatalities injuries 1980 235 55 1981 225 50 1982 245 55 1983 175 45 1984 185 45 Casualty data for 1985 are not yet available.
§ Mr. Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department is sponsoring any research into drinking and driving.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyYes. The Department of Transport continues to support research into the problems of drink and driving. The work is undertaken by the Department's Transport and Road Research Laboratory. The relevant programme is being placed in the Library of the House.