§ Miss HoeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the child pedestrian casualties in Britain in 1989 occurred in a street where they lived; and in how many of these cases were the motor vehicles involved travelling at above the speed limit at the moment of impact.
§ Mr. ChopeThe standard report form, STATS19, sent by police to the Department of Transport for all road accidents, does not have information on the addresses of casualties or an estimate of the speed of vehicles involved in accidents.
§ Miss HoeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for a change in the law so that when a child pedestrian is knocked down in a residential street the burden of proof is on the driver that due care was taken rather than on the child.
§ Mr. ChopeWe have no proposals for such a change in road traffic law which would be contrary to the general principle of the criminal justice system that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution. We are however taking other steps, including encouraging the introduction of 20 mph zones and traffic calming measures and launching a major publicity campaign, which will improve child road safety in residential areas.