Pedestrian protection in car design is seriously lagging behind the continuing improvements in occupant safety in recent years.
This is clearly evident as indicated in the latest of crash tests on motor vehicles which the Consumer Council participated through the International Consumer Research and Testing since 1997.
The latest test results, conducted by Euro NCAP (The European New Car Assessment Programme), included 20 models comprising 4 large family cars, 5 small family cars, 1 large off-roaders, 1 small MPV, 2 roadsters, 5 superminis, and 2 executive cars.
The latest crash tests showed that a remarkable majority (65%) of the cars tested achieved top rating for occupant protection. Out of 20 models, 13 were awarded the coveted five-star rating.
The numbers of cars scoring five stars for occupant safety have been on the increase rapidly over the years. It is clear that aiming for the highest rating is now the design philosophy for many car manufacturers.
In fact, for the first time, a supermini in this test scored five stars for occupant safety proving that such protection is not a right reserved exclusively for owners of the bigger vehicles.
However, it is disappointing that most cars tested were rated poorly with only one or two stars for pedestrian protection. Only 2 models out of the 20 tested scored three stars out of a maximum of four stars.
The protection of vulnerable road users hit by motor vehicles is an issue that car manufacturers are obviously picking up slowly.
It is worth noting that one car which achieved three-star rating in pedestrian protection, was also awarded the top five-star rating in occupant safety. Indeed, occupant safety and pedestrian protection can and should go hand in hand in car design.
As with its counterparts in Europe, the Consumer Council strongly supports improvements in the area of pedestrian protection. Through the generation of comparative information on car safety, it is hoped that consumers will be in a position to make their choice accordingly to ensure the safety of both occupants and pedestrians.
In the test samples, all but two of the cars were provided with some form of intelligent seat belt reminder such as a visual or loud and clear audible warning of seatbelt non-use. The fitting of such devices in increasingly more new cars is to be encouraged.
In the absence of seat belt use, almost all of the protective measures currently being built into cars would have little effect. Seat belts continued to be the most effective measure to protect vehicle occupants.
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