§ Mr. EnrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted into the safe manufacture of cars in respect of the severity of the effect on pedestrians of accidental impact.
§ Mr. KeyFor nearly 20 years the Transport Research Laboratory has been studying pedestrian safety and the mechanism of injury when struck by a car. The United Kingdom has led the European research institutes in the preparation of a draft directive. We are now awaiting a proposal for a directive from the EC Commission. Independent research carried out in the United Kingdom, supported by similar research in Germany, suggested that if all cars were softened to meet the proposals 7 per cent. of fatalities and 21 per cent. of serious injuries due to impacts by cars would be avoided. This might save approaching 100 lives per annum in the United Kingdom.