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Safety sense
Page 76
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I hear that gasps of surprise greeted the Minister for Transport when he addressed a House of Commons select comrd.ttee on European secondary legislation last week. And the reason for the apparent disbelief? Despite questioning by several MPs, Dr Gibert could not point firmly to any clear reason for the EEC intended switch to an eight-hour driving day.
It was difficult to quantify what benefits In road safety might accrue from the reduction in driving hours, Dr Gilbert told Labour MP Dr Dickson Mabon. No one had made any representations to him about this aspect during consultative procedures on the measure, But surely fatigue must affect accidents, asked Tory MP Ronald Bell. There was no evidence to support that, but there could he some small improvement, supposed the normally precise Minister.
What about the TRRL, Dr Mahon wanted to know; surely it had done some work on the matter? Again the Minister, despite being backed by a strong team of civil servants, could not give a very firm answer. Well, the Laboratory thought that the change would make no appreciable difference.
All this produced some confusion among the worthy MPs, not so well briefed in the niceties of EEC transport policy as we all are. If there was no reason for the eight-hour day why try and introduce it, they evidently wanted to know.
Unfortunately Dr Gilbert did not grasp the nettle and tell them that the eight-hour issue was now largely a political one being used as a trial of strength between the Commission and some member states.