PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Large Goods Vehicles: Accidents (3 June 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 253509, for what reason his Department does not hold data on whether cargo was moving within the vehicle during accidents involving lorries.

Asked by:
Dame Angela Eagle (Labour)

The Department does not hold specific data on whether cargo was moving within vehicles involved in accidents, as this information is not required from the police in the Stats19 data collection. However, ‘overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer’ can be recorded as a contributory factor.

The Department periodically reviews the data collection on personal injury road accidents reported to the police, in a process called Stats19 reviews. A Stats19 review started in autumn 2018 and is currently considering what amendments need to be made to the collection.

In making recommendations for change, the review considers evidence on the burden this would impose on the police to collect it for every accident, the practicality and likely quality of the data collected and potential benefits in building the road safety evidence base to save lives. We aim to consult on potential changes to the collection in 2020 following detailed engagement with the police and road safety organisations in 2019.

Answered by:
Sir Michael Ellis (Conservative)
11 June 2019