§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that roadworthiness tests for vehicles should include tests for moisture in the brake fluid.
§ Dr. GilbertWhile I have as yet no evidence of a level of accident risk which would justify the inclusion of a moisture test in the statutory roadworthiness tests456W for the braking systems of motor vehicles, I am aware of the possibility that danger may arise from water absorption in brake fluid. I have, therefore, authorised a special study of this problem. If evidence of a real accident risk emerges, I shall, of course, take the appropriate action.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will establish machinery whereby in future records are made available to ascertain what percentage of accidents are caused wholly or partially due to the defective condition of brakes.
§ Dr. GilbertProcedures for obtaining national data on road accidents rely on reporting by police officers. At the scene of an accident the prime duties of the police are to deal with the injured, prevent further accidents and restore traffic flow; there are, therefore, practical constraints on the amount of information that can be collected in these circumstances.
Reliable information on the factors contributing to accidents must be established from detailed investigations by experts. Such inquiries can, with the resources available, cover only a very small proportion of accidents. The transport and Road Research Laboratory has undertaken studies of this kind in the area around the Laboratory. The results are published in the TRRL Report LR 434.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will require garages which service brakes to install roller brake testing equipment.
§ Dr. GilbertMOT test stations, except those in remote rural areas, will be required to install roller brake testers by 1979. New legislation would be needed to require all garages to install this equipment, but I believe that satisfactory standards of servicing can be, and are, achieved without its use.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will commission research as to the manner in which a garage with no roller brake testing equipment can properly 457W assess whether each individual brake is working effectively.
§ Dr. GilbertNo. Whilst it is true that roller brake testers provide an accurate measurement of the braking effort at each wheel and therefore facilitate high standards of brake servicing, satisfactory standards are being achieved by experienced mechanics using a road test. The mandatory use of the roller brake tester in the MOT test is to enable examiners to assess accurately the extent to which braking performance meets the requirements of that test.