§ 36. Mr. Goodhartasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further research he is carrying out on the benefits of wearing seat belts in cars.
§ Dr. GilbertThe benefits of wearing seat belts being well known, research is now being directed at improving existing methods of restraint.
§ 42. Mr. James Lamondasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to introduce legislation to make the wearing of seat belts compulsory.
§ Dr. GilbertThe Road Traffic (Seat Belts) Bill, which would enable the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring the wearing of seat belts, was introduced on Wednesday 18th February and will be debated on second reading on Monday 1st March.
§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from police forces or their representatives concerning legislation to compel the use of seat belts in cars.
§ Dr. GilbertI have received no representations from them, but I understand that representative police organisations were among those consulted in 1973 about intensifying the use of seat belts. A majority of chief police officers considered that compulsion would ultimately be necessary; some of the police associations were opposed to it at that time on the grounds of the difficulty of enforcement.
§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has concerning the increase in the rate of use of seat belts in those countries which have made the wearing of seat belts in cars compulsory.
§ Dr. GilbertIn Australian States, wearing rates rose as a result of the legislation from around 25 per cent. to between 65 per cent. and 75 per cent., and in some, rates of 90 per cent. have been observed in more recent surveys. In 237W New Zealand they rose from 30 per cent. to 90 per cent., in France from 26 per cent. to 80 per cent.
§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list other countries which to his knowledge have legislation in progress to compel the use of seat belts in cars.
§ Dr. GilbertAustria, Denmark, Switzerland, and the German Federal Republic.
§ Mr. Jesselasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list other countries which to his knowledge have passed legislation compelling the use of seat belts in cars; in each case, in which year the legislation was enacted; what were the absolute and percentage figures for the reduction in the numbers of deaths and serious injuries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. GilbertMy information is that the following countries have introduced compulsory wearing: Australia (1971–72), Belgium (1975), Brazil (date not known), Czechoslovakia (date not known), Finland (1975), France (1973), Israel (1975), Luxembourg (1975), Malawi (date not known), Netherlands (1975), New Zealand (1972), Norway (1975), Nova Scotia (1974), Puerto Rico (date not known), Spain (1975), Sweden (1975), and the USSR (date not known).
In most of these reports on casualty reductions are not yet available. In Australia, the first year after this legislation brought a reduction of 17 per cent.—about 400—in deaths of vehicle occupants and 6.5 per cent.—about 6,000—in injuries. In New Zealand, the number of fatal accidents to car occupants was stabilised, while those to other road users were rising by 44 per cent. In France it is estimated that this measure saved 1,200 lives in 1974, when it applied on rural roads only.