HC Deb 28 June 1990 vol 175 c302W
Mr. Snape

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what statistics are collected on tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles;

(2) what information his Department has on trends in the number of tyre failures on coaches and heavy goods vehicles on motorways and major roads.

Mr. Atkins

The vehicle inspectorate has statistics on those tyre failures on coaches and goods vehicles which it obtains from its own accident investigations and from police and other sources where a safety defect is suspected.

Since many tyre failures can occur without serious consequences or accident, these are not always brought to my Department's attention. Our statistics therefore are unable to reflect the actual field situation or failure trends. However, the statistics show that tyre failure was a contributory factor in less than one in every 250 accidents investigated.