§ Mr. Rowlandasked the Minister of Transport what information he has gained from his studies of the speed limits imposed by, or lack of speed limits in, foreign and Commonwealth countries on roads broadly equivalent to British motorway standards, and of the accident rate on these roads.
§ Mr. Tom FraserThe Road Research Laboratory has compared injury accident rates on motorways in Great Britain with those in other countries, and has found broadly, that our rates are higher than in America, where nearly all expressways have speed limits, and lower than in the continent of Europe, where motorways have no general speed limits.
§ Mr. Geoffrey Lloydasked the Minister of Transport what arrangements he is making for a scientific study of the effects of the 70 miles per hour speed limit on motorways during the four months of its operation.
§ Mr. Tom FraserThe Road Research Laboratory will assess the effect of the experimental 70 m.p.h. speed limit by comparing vehicle speeds and accidents on motorways and other roads before and after the imposition of the limit. Vehicle speeds will be measured at several sites, and trends in accident frequency will be examined, with due allowance for changes in weather, traffic flow and other factors.