Firms told to make cars safer - Introduction

Manufacturers are failing to make cheap improvements to their cars which would save thousands of lives each year.

That’s the damning verdict of crash test organisation Euro NCAP, which published its latest results today.

Although seven of the 13 cars tested managed to win a best five-star rating for protecting their occupants, none achieved the highest four-star rating for pedestrian protection.

Euro NCAP’s chairman, Professor Claes Tingvall, said: ‘The killing has got to stop: not tomorrow, not in 2010, but today. For every day that we lose, five people will die and 115 will be seriously injured across Europe. Car manufacturers have had the ability to save this pain and suffering for years but have chosen not to do so.’

NCAP called on manufacturers to introduce simple improvements which the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory said would add about £65 to the cost of a new car.

NCAP said front bumpers should be repositioned and restructured to reduce the chances of pedestrians’ legs being broken in the event of an impact. It also wants to see the leading edge of car bonnets softened and less rigid reinforcement used under the bonnet. Both measures would help minimise injuries to pedestrians.

In the latest round of tests, the Audi A6, Renault Modus, VW Touareg and Citroen C5 all won five stars for occupant protection, but just one star for pedestrian protection. The Seat Altea and Citroen C4 performed the best, with three out of four stars.

Click through the links to see a report on each of the test results. The diagrams show where crash-test dummies experienced high loads, which indicate a risk of injury, as well as maps of the cars’ bonnets which indicate where pedestrians are cushioned and protected from harm.