Children are less well protected by safety features in recent car models than drivers and adult passengers, crash test specialists European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) have claimed.
After subjecting 18 recent car models to violent front and side crashes, Euro NCAP found injury risks were higher for small children, even with special child restraints, than for adults.
"We're disappointed in that as far as children are concerned results could be even better than they are," said Max Mosley, Euro NCAP chairman, after unveiling the 18 smashed-up cars on Rome's Piazza del Popolo.
He said a lack of systematic testing of child protection features, until NCAP's own recent efforts, had made it hard for manufacturers to improve in that area.
"Now that the facts are known," he said, "parents will put huge pressure on the people producing both the seats and the cars to improve safety."
Overall Euro NCAP found auto makers had vastly improved safety for passengers in the five years that it has been testing newly-issued models, though progress in making cars less lethal for pedestrians involved in crashes was too slow.
"With the pedestrians . . . we'd like to see more progress. There are different features on different cars which if they were all combined in one would give pedestrians a much better chance," Mosley said.
Four of the 18 models tested in the latest phase were awarded the maximum rating of five stars for passenger safety, and a four-star rating was now the norm, as opposed to one or two stars five years ago.
But no model gained more than two stars for pedestrian protection, and one car, Suzuki's Grand Vitara, was the first ever tested by Euro NCAP to receive no star at all in that category.
Mosley said carmakers were reluctant to invest in making cars safer for pedestrians because consumers were not prepared to pay a premium to protect people outside their vehicle.
"There is no doubt that when you buy a car, if you're interested in safety at all you're interested in protecting yourself and your passengers," he said.
The overall star performer among the 18 freshly-tested models was the new Renault Megane, which scored five stars for passenger safety and two for pedestrian protection.
Mosley said the Megane was the first small family car to achieve such a high rating and this proved a top safety standard was possible for whatever type of car and not just pricey executive models.
Other models that obtained five stars for passenger safety were Renault's Vel Satis, the Mercedes E-Class and the Saab 9-3. ... - Reuters