§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, from the sources available to him, he can advise which countries require the compulsory fitting of laminated windscreens in motor vehicles.
§ Dr. GilbertSo far as I am aware the fitting of laminated windscreens is compulsory in 11 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Italy, the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Iraq, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what records are kept of the number of eye injuries caused by the shattering of toughened glass windscreens of motor cars; and if he is aware of any research into this subject undertaken in other countries.
§ Dr. GilbertVarious studies have been undertaken both here and abroad. No complete record of eye injuries caused directly by the shattering of toughened glass windscreens is available; but I believe such injuries to be rare. In a recent survey by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, of about 1,000 incidents in which windscreens shattered on the road, without vehicle impact, there was no case of eye injury.
§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department keeps a record of the number of car accidents attributed to loss of vision resulting 150W from the shattering of toughened glass windscreens.
§ Dr. GilbertNo complete record of these accidents is aavilable. Investigations carried out in recent years by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory indicate that accidents caused by the shattering of a windscreen are very rare.