§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each police force area in England and Wales the total number of personal injury accidents during the Christmas period 1986 and 1987 and the percentage in each period which were caused as a result of alcohol.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe following table shows the total number of injury accidents between 20 and 31 December, 1986 and 1987, and the percentage of these accidents in which at least one driver or rider failed a subsequent breath test. Data are not collected on the causes of accidents, so the fact that a driver or rider failed the breath test does not mean that alcohol caused the accident. Some other accidents will have involved drivers or riders who, because of the severity of their injuries, could not be tested.
Some police forces breath test a large proportion of drivers or riders involved in accidents, while others test only those who are suspected of drink-driving. This can lead to variations between police force areas in the proportions of drivers or riders who were found to be over the limit.
Because of the small number of accidents involved in some police force areas, differences between two years are not necessarily significant.
290W
Accidents in England and Wales: percentage of accidents in which at least one driver or rider failed a roadside breath test: between 20
and 31 December 1986 and 1987
All accidents Percentage failed Police force 1986 1987 1986 1987 Metropolitan 1,097 1,075 3.6 3.5 Cumbria 51 41 7.8 2.4 Lancashire 139 133 10.1 6.8 Merseyside 178 154 6.7 7.8 Greater Manchester 310 271 8.1 5.5 Cheshire 103 98 5.8 8.2 Tyne and Wear 130 106 8.5 6.6 Durham 51 42 3.9 9.5 North Yorkshire 68 65 2.9 9.2 West Yorkshire 222 213 3.6 7.0 South Yorkshire 106 117 12.3 8.5 Humberside 86 104 8.1 4.8 Cleveland 63 58 7.9 5.2 West Midlands 242 162 4.5 9.3 Staffordshire 112 117 8.0 6.8 West Mercia 89 102 5.6 6.9 Warwickshire 54 57 3.7 3.5 Derbyshire 87 87 9.2 1.1 Nottinghamshire 95 99 7.4 3.0 Lincolnshire 58 70 12.1 2.9
All accidents Percentage failed Police force 1986 1987 1986 1987 Leicestershire 87 84 16.1 7.1 Northamptonshire 60 60 13.3 10.0 Cambridgeshire 82 64 7.3 9.4 Norfolk 104 92 7.7 1.1 Suffolk 72 68 4.2 1.5 Bedfordshire 57 65 5.3 3.1 Hertfordshire 96 90 10.4 1.1 Essex 200 176 7.0 6.3 Thames Valley 237 183 7.2 6.0 Hampshire 190 197 4.2 7.6 Surrey 104 114 8.7 8.8 Kent 166 147 7.2 6.8 Sussex 140 139 2.9 4.3 City of London 7 5 0.0 0.0 Devon and Cornwall 164 165 5.5 6.1 Somerset and Avon 127 127 7.1 8.7 Gloucestershire 62 53 8.1 7.5 Wiltshire 66 68 9.1 1.5 Dorset 83 55 8.4 12.7 North Wales 58 62 5.2 4.8 Gwent 37 29 0.0 3.4 South Wales 121 113 10.7 6.2 Dyfed Powys 44 49 9.1 10.2 Total 5,705 5,376 6.5 5.7