HC Deb 02 July 2002 vol 388 c210W
Mr. Redwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what safety requirements are imposed on(a) bus operators and (b) train operators to secure luggage to avoid it hitting passengers when (i) braking and (ii) cornering. [65634]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 1 July 2002]: (a) Regulation 100 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 requires that the load carried by a motor vehicle shall at all times be so secured, if necessary by physical restraint other than its own weight, and be in such a position, that neither danger nor nuisance is likely to be caused to any person or property by reason of the load or any part thereof falling from that vehicle.

The Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations 1990 require that anyone taking a cumbersome or bulky article or one that may cause an annoyance to another passenger shall place it on the vehicle where either the driver, inspector or conductor recommend.

(b) The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Railway Safety Principles and Guidance includes guidance on railway construction to ensure that luggage is sufficiently secured to avoid hitting passengers when braking and cornering.

Mr. Redwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of evidence received as to whether seat belts would(a) save lives and (b) limit injuries in (i) train and (ii) bus crashes. [65638]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 1 July 2002]: The use of seat belts in buses for non-urban operation is estimated by the Department to reduce fatal and serious injuries to seated passengers by 30– cent.

The Department has made no such assessment on the fitting of seat belts to trains. However, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for monitoring and enforcing safety on the railways, advises that although the use of properly fitting seat belts could in certain circumstances protect passengers in a train accident, it is not persuaded that the fitting of seat belts in trains is a reasonably practicable safety precaution. While some passengers may use seat belts voluntarily, there would be little point in fitting them without reasonable expectation that they would be relatively widely used.