§ 162. Mr. Pannellasked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that in Leeds there are about 4,600 road accidents each year and that no fewer than one-quarter of these are caused by dogs; to what extent this state of affairs is general throughout the country; and whether he is prepared to introduce legislation to offer a remedy.
§ Mr. BarnesThe accident statistics kept by my Department are restricted to those involving death or personal injury, and during 1949 2,187 such accidents, representing 1.5 per cent. of the total in the country as a whole, were reported by the police as being primarily due to dogs in the carriageway. The comparable figures for Leeds were 30 and 2 per cent. I do not think that it would be practicable to deal with the matter by legislation, but I hope that the inclusion on dog licences of an appeal to dog owners to keep dogs under control on the roads will have a good effect.