---

Road Safety Bill [HL]

My Lords, I took the riding hat legislation through your Lordships’ House some years ago so that children wear riding hats on roads. They use riding hats now in fields and when they are jumping, and you hardly ever see a child without one. It is important for children who ride cycles on the roads also to have protection. They are at risk from muddy roads, icy puddles and being hit by vehicles. Helmets for those who ride cycles should be improved. The present helmets do not seem to cover enough of the head, and this is something on which research ought to be considered and done. Head injuries should be avoided if possible. The results of a head injury can be devastating, long-lasting and very expensive—an expense to that child for the rest of their life. I hope the Government will consider this, and do something about it.