§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he proposes to take in the light of the published road accident figures for 1987.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyWe are pleased that the provisional 1987 figures show pedestrians deaths at the lowest level ever recorded. The figure for road deaths overall is the lowest for 34 years.
Five thousand one hundred deaths are still too many. Our aim is to cut road casualties by a third by the end of the century. This will require unremitting effort and in particular measures to help the most vulnerable groups and to tackle the unacceptably high level of accidents in urban areas.
We shall be working closely with local authorities, with industry and commerce and with the many organisations with a special interest in tackling the problems of death and injury on the road. We welcome the high level of public interest and commitment, and in particular the increasing recognition that we shall have made a great step forward if we can cut out the road deaths associated with alcohol.