HC Deb 01 February 1990 vol 166 cc332-3W
28. Mr. Stanbrook

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current level of road casualties.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

In 1989 there were over 7,000 crashes or collisions involving personal injury or death. The total number of 11,611 casualties includes 9,416 slight injuries, 2,014 serious injuries and 181 deaths.

33. Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the programme to reduce road casualties.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Targets were set last autumn to reduce by one third within the 12 months to halloween 1990, the recent average road death total of 210 people, and to cut serious injuries by one third by the end of the century. The death rate is down by 20 per cent., though the period covered so far is too short to be significant.

The newly established road casualty reduction unit will seek to create a climate of public opinion and awareness which is more acceptable to the effective promotion of road casualty reduction; and to examine and evaluate all existing road casualty reduction measures and to identify new measures.