§ Mr. Clive Bossomasked the Minister of Transport what proposals he has for dim-dip headlight experiments in selected areas of the country in the coming winter months; if he will give a list of the areas; and if he will publish the results of these experiments.
§ Mr. Tom FraserMy Department and the Road Research Laboratory are at present conducting an experiment148W with the dim-dip headlight system which has been fitted to a number of London taxicabs for use in well-lit streets. This is a controlled experiment in which the accident rates of fitted cabs will be compared with those of others using normal lighting. I am grateful to the owners and drivers for their help. The laboratory will evaluate the results at the end of the winter and a report will be published. In addition a number of local authorities are arranging campaigns advocating the use of dim-dip headlights in their areas. Certain police forces and other organisations are also trying out the system on their vehicles. While their results cannot be assessed in the same way as the controlled London taxicab experiment, I hope that these campaigns will prove useful in providing wider experience of the system, both for drivers and pedestrians.