§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what duties the police have to carry out before an accident site can be cleared from(a) an A-road and (b) a motorway; [42749]
(2) what the average length of time was which it took for the police to clear an accident on (a) a motorway and (b) an A-road, in order to return the road to normal use; [42750]
(3) what the average response times were for the police to reach an accident on (a) a motorway and (b) an A-road in the last three years; [42748]
(4)what is the average length of time it took the police complete all their official duties at an accident site on (a) an A-road and (b) a motorway in eachof the last three years. [42751]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthInformation relating to the average time taken to reach accident sites on A-roads and motorways, to clear the site and to complete official duties are not recorded centrally. Individual forces have accident response time targets, of between 10 and 15 minutes. These targets are not uniform across the country to allow for differences in terrain, road infrastructure and police resources.
The main duties performed by the police in dealing with road accidents do not vary substantially between A-roads and motorways. They are:
- (a) to gain access to the scene;
- (b) to make the scene safe through coning and signing;
- (c) to assist any injured party by effecting rescue or through first aid;
- (d) to arrange attendance of other agencies to assist in rescue and scene management;
- (e) to preserve the accident scene and undertake crash investigation when appropriate;
- (f) to manage the traffic around the accident scene;
- (g) to protect and recover property;
- (h) to manage the handover of scene management to the Highweys Agency; and
- (i) where there are fatalities, to work in accordance with coroner"s procedures in relation to the removal of bodies.