§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will list the number of accidents involving invalid tricycles during (a) 1975 and (b) the first six months of 1976:
(2) whether he will list the number of accidents involving the Model 70 invalid tricycle during (a) 1975 and (b) the first six months of 1976.
§ Dr. GilbertIt is provisionally estimated from police reports of injury accidents that 473 invalid tricycles were involved in injury accidents in the calendar year 1975. In some of these the driver of the invalid tricycle was not among the injured. Figures on this basis412W are not yet available for the first six months of 1976. These figures do not separately identify the Model 70.
§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that the Model 70 invalid tricycle meets the safety requirements of his Department.
§ Dr. GilbertThe Model 70 tricycle meets all the requirements of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations which apply to it. Tricycles manufactured after 1st October 1977 will need some modification to meet the requirements of the new national type approval scheme which I propose to introduce.
§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been conducted by his Department into the safety record of the Model 70 invalid tricycle.
§ Dr. GilbertMy Department has not conducted any research specifically into the safety record of the Model 70 tricycle. It was included in stability tests carried out by the Motor Industry Research Association in 1974, a copy of whose report is available in the Library. At the request of the Department of Health and Social Security we have also recently examined the mechanical condition of a sample of tricycles on the road.
§ Mr. Norman Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the road safety record of the Model 70 invalid tricycle; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Dr. GilbertPolice accident reports show that over a given period drivers of invalid tricycles are about three times as likely to be killed or seriously injured as are drivers of ordinary cars. These reports do not, however, distinguish between the Model 70 and other models; nor do they take into account the differences in the characteristics of the drivers and the types of journey undertaken. With my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State with special responsibility for the disabled I am continuing to give close attention to all aspects of the: safety of invalid vehicles.