Written question asked by Viscount Thurso (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 26 November 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 December 2004. It was answered by David Jamieson (Labour) on Thursday, 2 December 2004 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Dept for Transport

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has commissioned in respect of the products which claim to prevent wheel loss.

Answer: John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned in respect of the products which claim to prevent wheel loss. [201199] Mr. Jamieson: The Department has not itself commissioned such research. However, work carried out on behalf of the British Standards Institution indicated that a loss of clamp force--due to settlement between the interfaces of the wheel-fixing assembly-- can take place without rotation of the nut. Thus, although use of locking devices can prevent loss of wheel nuts the devices cannot counteract a loss of clamp force, and excessive wear as a consequence of this could result in loss of a wheel while nuts were still attached. Nonetheless there might be benefit in some cases, with such equipment preventing or delaying total loss of a wheel.

Secondary information