§ Sir B. Jannerasked the Minister of Transport how many deaths occurred since the coming into force of the breathalizer tests due to the driver having had an excess of alcohol and/or drugs; and whether he will make full investigations into all fatal accidents with a view to publishing such findings in order to inform the public.
§ Mr. CarmichaelIt is very seldom possible to attribute a particular accident to a single cause, but in 1968—the only period for which this information is available—182 drivers involved in fatal accidents subsequently gave a positive breath test. This figure does not of course include drivers who were killed themselves, or for whom a breath test was impracticable because of serious injuries or for some other reason. No comparable information is available about drugs.
The Road Research Laboratory has for some time been obtaining from coroners information on the blood/alcohol levels of drivers and riders killed in road accidents: this will be published later this year.