§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents which occured in Essex during 2003 were primarily caused by speed; and if he will make a statement. [156314]
§ Mr. JamiesonRoutine statistics do not record the primary cause of a road accident. However, under a pilot scheme, since 1999 Essex police force has provided information on contributory factors to accidents. The latest year for which pilot data are available is 2002. The number of reported injury accidents in Essex in 2002 for which 'excessive speed' was deemed by the police to be one of the contributory factors, was 964. These 964 accidents resulted in 27 deaths, 270 serious injuries and 1,118 slight injuries.
Essex is one of 14 police forces for which pilot data are available. Overall, the pilot results for 2002 show that `excessive speed' was deemed to be a factor in some 714W 15 per cent. of injury accidents. The proportion of accidents where 'excessive speed' is coded as a factor rises with the severity of the accident; it applied to 13 per cent. of slight accidents, 23 per cent. of serious accidents and 33 per cen. of fatal accidents in the pilot areas in 2002. If these proportions were the same across the whole of the country, this would mean that 1,132 deaths, 8,274 serious injuries and 34,216 slight injuries were sustained in accidents where excessive speed was deemed to be a contributory factor.
The contributory factor data are based on the opinions of police officers. In the case of accidents reported by a member of the public at a police station, these factors have to be determined from their description of the accident.
The true extent of the influence of speed as a contributory factor in road traffic accidents may be even greater than suggested by the single factor 'excessive speed', as some other factors—such as 'following too close'—may also be associated with inappropriate speed. My Department is undertaking further analysis of the pilot contributory factor data and will publish an article later in the year.
Starting in January 2005 this pilot scheme will be replaced by a new set of questions on contributory factors, which will henceforward form an integral part of the road accident reporting system and will be collected by all police forces for accidents reported at scene by a police officer.