§ Sir Roger MoateTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the estimates of annual fatalities caused by the loss of wheels from heavy commercial vehicles which have been sent to him; what estimate he has made of the number of(a) fatalities and (b) incidents; what research he is undertaking into this problem; what assessment he has made of the availability of safety wheel nuts; and if he will make a statement. [7974]
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§ Mr. BowisAn analysis by the Transport Research Laboratory of fatal accidents involving heavy goods vehicles indicates that wheel detachment occurs in about one such accident in a hundred. Applying this estimate to available road accident data would suggest that there are approximately five to six such fatal road accidents a year. A further analysis by the Vehicle Inspectorate's accident and defect database shows that between 1982 and 1994 there were approximately 320 accident cases involving the loss of wheels from commercial vehicles.
I am currently investigating ways of improving the collection and collation of relevant data on wheel loss. I am pleased to announce that, following joint discussions with the Vehicle Inspectorate and the Association of Chief Police Officers, a nationwide survey of the extent of the problem is planned to take place at the beginning of February 1997. Further research will be considered in light of the outcome of this study.
My Department has received many representations from manufacturers of proprietary products which claim to address the problem of wheel loss. We have not commissioned research into such products or their availability.