HC Deb 07 March 2002 vol 381 cc561-2W
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secreatry of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much his Department has spent on road-safety related matters in each of the last three years. [40225]

Jamieson

In the financial years 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, my Department spent £68 million, £84 million and £97 million respectively on road safety. These figures exclude the Department's internal administration costs. While they include Highways Agency expenditure on specific safety schemes, it is not possible to estimate the cost of the safety benefits inherent in larger projects.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the ratio between total road safety spending in the United Kingdom and the number of vehicle journeys each year. [40227]

Jamieson

Expenditure on road safety by my Department and by local authorities in England in 1999–2000 totalled £318 million. It is estimated that motor vehicles travelled 398 billion kilometres in England in 1999. This suggests that annual expenditure on road safety is of the order of £8 per 10,000 vehicle kilometres travelled.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what regulations apply to speed limit indicators painted on the road surface in restricted areas. [40225]

Mr. Jamieson

Departmental policy is to authorise carriageway roundels only when used in conjunction with upright repeated signs. Research has shown when used alone roundels have little effect on vehicle speeds and adverse weather conditions can render them invisible.

Direction 10 of Traffic Signs Regulation and General Directions 1994 states that repeater signs are prohibited on restricted roads. Consequently carriageway roundels are only authorised when used in conjunction with an upright sign at the gateway/terminal of a restricted road.

Mrs. Helen Clark

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he made of the extent of reporting of road crashes that involve children. [40548]

Mr. Jamieson

After a study for my Department in 1996, the Transport Research Laboratory reported that "around half of casualties aged 0–4 and 15–19 and a third of those aged 5–14 were reported but the reporting rate increased to around two-thirds or more for older casualties". The reporting rate also varied with road user group: 56 per cent. for children aged 0–14 who were car occupants but only 12 per cent. for pedal cyclists.

The main reasons given by casualties interviewed in hospital accident and emergency departments for not reporting an accident were that the accident was too trivial or that no one else was involved.