HC Deb 01 July 1980 vol 987 cc515-6W
Mr. Fry

asked the Minister of Transport (1) what the estimated average cost was per accident in Great Britain in 1979 for each of the following: fatal accidents, serious accidents, slight accidents and accidents involving damage only;

(2) what the estimated cost was of road accidents in Great Britain in 1979, broken down into lost output, police and administration, medical and ambulance, damage to property and allowance for loss in human terms.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The information is as follows, in June 1979 prices and values:

£ million at 1979 survey prices
1976–77 1977–78
Cmnd. 6393 Actual Shortfall Cmnd. 6721 Actual Shortfall (-) or overspend (+) Per cent.
Motorway and trunk road construction … … 459 420 -9 346 279 -19
Motorway and trunk road maintenance … … 88 78 -11 76 78 +3
Local authority road construction … … 481 426 -11 268 265 -1
Local authority road maintenance … … 538 491 -9 492 472 -4
1978–79 1979–80
Cmnd. 7049 Actual Shortfall (-) or overspend (+) Per cent. Cmnd. 7439* Estimated outturn Shortfall (-) or overspend (+) Per cent.
Motorway and trunk road construction … … 364 280 -23 328 287 -12
Motorway and trunk road maintenance … … 84 89 +6 87 93 +7
Local authority road construction … … 255 235 -8 298 275 -8
Local authority road maintenance … … 474 518 +9 482 495 +3
* Cmnd. 7439 was of course modified by the new Government as a result of the June 1979 Budget.
Average Cost per Road Accident G.B. 1979 (Provisional):
Fatal Accident £113,400
Serious Accident £6,100
Slight Accident £790
Damage only Accident £350
Estimated total cost of road accidents G.B. 1979 (Provisional) (Including an estimate for damage only accidents):
£m
Lost Output 540
Police and Administration 87
Medical and Ambulance 53
Damage to property 640
Pain, grief and suffering 410
TOTAL: £1,730m