§ Lord Braine of Wheatleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish in the Official Report a table showing the wearing rates for:
for the last year for which figures are available in each county in England and Wales; and whether they are satisfied with the current wearing rates. [HL1567]
- (a) front seat belts; and
- (b) rear seat belts
Whether they will publish in the Official Report a table showing the front seat and rear seat belt wearing rates among (a) males and (b) females for the last year for which figures are available in each county in England and Wales. [HL1568]
§ Baroness HaymanSeat belt wearing rates are not collected on a county basis. The Transport Research Laboratory observes car and van seat-belt wearing rates twice yearly at 32 sites chosen to represent all types of road. Although the results may not be strictly nationally representative, they should give useful insights into national patterns of restraint use.
The survey provided the following rates for seat belt wearing, for all ages, in the front and rear, overall and by gender, for 1997.
25WA
Overall By Gender Front Rear Front Rear Date Driver Passenger Males Female Male Female April 1997 89% 89% 63% 86% 94% 63% 63% October 1997 91% 93% 67% 89% 95% 68% 65% The Government are not satisfied with current rates of seat belt wearing. A publicity campaign to further promote seat belt wearing will be launched later this year. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions supported the launch on 24 April of a pan-European Road Safety Campaign, encouraging, among other things, seat belt wearing. The campaign is being organised by European motoring organisations, co-ordinated by the AIT and FIA.