§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate, in the light of the latest road casualty figures and in comparison with those for previous period, 141W how many fatal accidents and how many serious injuries would have been avoided had the wearing of rear seat belts been compulsory.
§ Mrs. Chalker[pursuant to her reply, 1 May 1984]: A detailed breakdown of the total figures for 1982 was given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, South (Mr. Aitken), on 16 Janurry at column 60.
As no surveys of rear seat belt wearing rates have been undertaken, the efficacy of rear seat belts in saving injuries cannot be calculated. However, the relative proportion of fatal and serious injuries for seat belt wearers is about half that for non-wearers. This suggests considerable scope for savings if more seat belts are worn.