§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities in road accidents in 1978 were front seat passengers and drivers wearing seat belts; and how many were not.
§ Mr. William RodgersI regret that information for 1978 is not yet available. The figures for 1977 are as follows:
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DRIVERS AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS OF CARS AND LIGHT VANS KILLED Number Seat belt fitted and worn 252 Seat belt fitted, but not worn 1,509 Not fitted to vehicle 44 Unknown seat belt wearing 407 All 2,212
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed on the roads in 1978; and, of these, how many were drivers or passengers in the front seat of motor cars.
§ Mr. William RodgersI regret that information for 1978 is not yet available. The figures for 1977 are as follows:
NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENTS WAS 6,614 Car drivers 1,429 Car front seat passengers 666
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport what other countries now have seat belt legislation; and what other countries and states are now considering the matter.
§ Mr. William RodgersWearing of seat belts is compulsory in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Eire, Finland, France, German Federal Republic, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden and the USSR. I understand that the German Democratic Republic, Greece, Poland, Romania, Switzerland and Yugoslavia are considering introducing compulsion.
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of cars is now fitted with seat belts in the front seats.
§ Mr. William RodgersIt is estimated that about 96 per cent. of all private cars and vans, licensed in 1978, are fitted with seat belts in the front seats.
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport what exemptions he is now considering to the proposed legislation on seat belt wearing.
§ Mr. William RodgersI intend to outline my proposals in the debate on the Second Reading of the Bill.
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost to public funds on average of each road fatality.
§ Mr. William RodgersIn 1978 prices, the average cost to the community is about £61,500. The cost to public funds is about 5–10 per cent. of this figure.
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§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the bodies which have made representations to the Government in favour of making the wearing of seat belts compulsory.
§ Mr. William RodgersCompulsory seat belt wearing has the support among others of the British Medical Association, Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, presidents of the nine medical Royal Colleges and their faculties in the United Kingdom, Society of British Neurological Surgeons, British Orthopaedic Association, Medical Commission on Accident Prevention, Automobile Association, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Superintendent's Association of England and Wales, Police Federation in England and Wales, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and National Association of Health Authorities.
§ Mr. Wigginasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has evidence that wearing a seat belt contributed to any deaths in 1978; and, if so, how he came to that conclusion.
§ Mr. William RodgersI have no such evidence.