§ 72. Mr. Championasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation if he is aware that, in 1956, no passenger was killed in a train accident and that, in the same year, there were 5,367 deaths from road accidents; and if he will take steps to extend the system of public inquiry to fatal road accidents in order to ascertain the cause and propose future safeguards as with the railways.
§ Mr. WatkinsonI agree that last year there were over 5,000 deaths on the road and none on the railways, but I am afraid we should not gain by adopting the hon. Member's proposal. All fatal road accidents are already investigated and reported on by the police. Serious accidents involving goods vehicles or public service vehicles are also investigated by officers of my Department. Under Section 23 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, an inquiry can be ordered into any road accident, and this procedure can be adopted whenever it seems likely to produce useful results.