ROAD ACCIDENTS AND DEFECTIVE TYRES
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—In the joint interest of motorists and pedestrians the House of Lords Select Committee on Road Accidents might usefully round off its work by calling expert evidence on the question of defective tyres before it completes its sittings.
It is significant that, whereas accidents caused by skidding are as high as 10.4 per cent. of those attributed to drivers, the number of prosecutions for using defective tyres is, according to the last Home Office return, only 6,974 out of 593,778, or 1.17 per cent. Any skidding accidents not due to worn tyres (and 157 of the total had fatal consequences) would probably be more than balanced by accidents under other heads to which defective tyres are a contributing cause.
Evidently the safety of the community in general demands here just such an inquiry as the present Select Committee is eminently fitted to undertake.—Yours faithfully, G. R. HALL CAINE,
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