§ Mr. Carmichaelasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the countries in Europe which now have compulsory seat belt laws and where possible the change in personal accident statistics for these countries.
§ Mr. HoramThe European countries which had compulsory seat belt laws in May 1977 are listed below, with the number of car occupants killed in each of the years shown. The form of the law varies between countries, and in some of those listed there is no penalty for noncompliance. Some of the changes in casualty figures may be due to other changes affecting road safety in the period shown.
§ Mr. HoramSome 200 people were interviewed on buses and about half of them were also seen at home. The surveys were carried out by two employees of consultants and not by officers of the Department.
§ Mr. Kimballasked the Secretary of State for Transport, in view of the fact 237W that the result of his first month's survey on the curtailment of bus services in the Market Rasen, Caistor area of Lincolnshire proved inconclusive, if he will now instruct his survey team to look at the hardship caused in the area to people who do not own their own transport.
§ Mr. HoramThe first survey was not inconclusive; its purpose was to identify regular users of the services. When the pattern of replacement services is settled it will be decided whether they differ sufficiently to justify a survey to assess how people have adapted to the changes and what hardship has been caused.