To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost of research carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory on leg protectors for motor cyclists; and what results have been obtained.

The cost of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory's research on motor cycle leg protection has averaged some £300,000 per year, in current prices, over the past 10 years. This should be set against the estimated current cost of motor cycling accidents at £654 million per year.The research shows that properly designed leg protectors could eliminate or reduce the severity of at least 25 per cent. of leg injuries without increasing injuries to other parts of the body or to the head.