§ 57. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Minister of Transport on what statistics she based her estimates that drink played a part it nearly 30,000 accidents a year and that it leads to about 13,000 fatal and serious casualties every year; whether these statistics were drawn from British or foreign sources; and what age brackets the statistics included.
§ Mr. Carmichael:The estimates of the increased accident risk of a driver who has been drinking are based on the work of Professor Borkenstein in the United States. This involves a comparison of the blood alcohol levels of a large sample of drivers of all age groups who had been involved in accidents with those of a sample of drivers who had not been involved in, accidents but who were driving at a time and place at which accidents had occurred. The figures quoted in the question were obtained by applying these results to the latest British accident figures. They are consistent with the findings of smaller surveys carried out in this country by the Road Research Laboratory.