§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Minister of Transport what reduction in road casualties there have been since the introduction of the new drink and driving legislation; and if she will give the figures.
§ Mrs. Castle:During the period 9th to 31st October, 1967, there were 409 deaths, 5,348 serious injuries, and 16,041 slight injuries on roads in Great Britain. This represents a reduction of 12 per cent. compared with the corresponding period in 1966. Traffic during this period is estimated to have increased by 5 per cent.
In the first eight days of October the reduction over the corresponding days last year was 2 per cent.
For October as a whole the reduction in fatal and serious casualties during normal working hours (8 a.m.-6 p.m.) was 2 per cent. Between 6 and 8 p.m. the reduction was less than 1 per cent. But between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. the reduction was 36 per cent.