Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate, if any, they have made of the number of deaths in England and Wales involving personnel deployed to provide roadside assistance and repairs services on A-roads and motorways in each year since 2010.
The Department does not hold specific data on deaths involving personnel deployed to provide roadside assistance and repair services, as this information is not required when road accidents are reported to the police through the Stats19 accident reporting form.
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.