Car makers: protect pedestrians better! - Introduction

You're driving past a school when a child runs out in front of your car. The collision is not your fault, but that's no consolation when the soul-searching begins.

What if your car's manufacturer could have done more to protect the child? Adrian Hobbs, secretary-general of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), believes car design could do more to minimise the consequences of such an accident. Hobbs is convinced that European Union legislation on pedestrian safety is too weak, and that car makers are not doing enough voluntarily.

'Since NCAP started 10 years ago, car manufacturers have made dramatic improvements for the safety of people travelling inside cars, but they have less interest in pedestrians,' Hobbs claims. 'Most car manufacturers have done relatively nothing.'

Read on to find out why.