§ Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accident deaths in(a) England and (b) Bedfordshire have been associated with excess alcohol consumption since 1 January 1985.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe table shows the total number of fatalities in Bedfordshire and in England from 1 January 1985 to 31 December 1987 and for each of those years in accidents where at least one driver or rider failed a breath test. This is the most common measure of drink-related accidents. It is not possible to produce precise statistics of drink-related accidents because some drivers will have been too severely injured to be breath tested. The blood alcohol level of drivers who die within 12 hours of an accident are provided from coroner's reports. These are not always complete. They exclude those drivers who die after this period but within the 30-day rule for a road accident fatality. Such fatalities are not included in this table.
93W
Road fatalities in accidents where a driver or rider failed a breath test: 1985–87 1985 1986 1987 Total Bedfordshire 6 4 3 13 England 290 261 262 813