Written question asked by Anne Milton (Conservative) on Friday, 15 June 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 19 June 2007. It was answered by Stephen Ladyman (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 June 2007 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Roads: Accidents

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the survival chance of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at (a) 20 mph, (b) 30 mph, (c) 35 mph, (d) 39 mph, (e) 40 mph, (f) 50 mph and (g) 60 mph; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Research by Ashton and Mackay estimated the chances of a pedestrian surviving if hit by a vehicle travelling at a variety of speeds. This showed that:"At 20 mph there is about a 1 in 40 chance of being killed.""At 30 mph there is about a 1 in 5 chance of being killed.""At 35 mph there is about a 50/50 chance of being killed.""At 40 mph there is about a 9 in 10 chance of being killed."The research also showed the chances of a child pedestrian surviving are:"At 30 mph there is about a 1 in 5 chance of being killed.""At 40 mph there is about an 8 in 10 chance of being killed."Pedestrians being hit by vehicles travelling at 39 mph, 50 mph and 60 mph were not assessed as part of this research.

Secondary information