§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the consideration given to the potential for road accident casualty reduction when he approves road schemes.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyWhen assessing new road schemes the benefits for savings in road casualty costs are considered along with other economic and wider environmental effects. On average about 14 per cent. of the total economic benefits of schemes are attributed to reductions in accidents.
§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will rank the road schemes approved during the past year in terms of anticipated casualty reductions for £100,000 spent.
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§ Mr. Peter BottomleyCasualty savings account for part of the total estimated benefit of new road schemes. It would be misleading to compare the total costs of road schemes with a partial measure of their benefits or to rank schemes on this basis. The information asked for could only be assembled with disproportionate expenditure of time and cost.
§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to introduce any further measures for accident reduction during the remainder of European Road Safety Year.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyWe have just published a revised edition of the accident investigation and prevention manual. I have written to the chairman of each local authority highway committee drawing his attention to the manual and emphasising that local AIP work represents the single most cost-effective means of reducing road casualties yet identified.
I am today announcing new criteria for the installation of crash barriers on dual carriageways. New regulations on pelican crossings will be also laid very shortly.
European Road Safety Year has provided a useful focus for effort by central and local government and by voluntary and private sector organisations. However, the task of reducing road casualties will not end on 31 December. Continued progress will depend on the ability of central Government, local authorities and others to deploy their resources on strategies that are of demonstrable cost-effectiveness in casualty reducing terms, thus saving the maximum number of lives and reducing avoidable injuries.