`Safe' cars alert for pedestrians

CAR MAKERS will be forced to improve vehicle design after new crash tests showed cars have become safer for drivers but more hazardous for pedestrians and cyclists.

The European Union is preparing legislation to force manufacturers to design cars that will offer greater protection to those outside the car during an accident. Crash test results, published yesterday, showed three out of six popular cars gave those on foot "poor protection". But four of the models won top marks for protecting the driver and passengers.

Neil Kinnock, the EU Transport Commissioner, will propose an EU directive aimed at making cars more "pedestrian-friendly". This will include a ban on "bull bars".

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said it would play a positive role on improving safety but the Government needed to invest more in infrastructure to keep cars and pedestrians apart.

A spokeswoman for Ford added: "We do need to listen to customers' demands but if we put a tank on the road people would not want to buy it."

Three of the six cars tested - the Vauxhall Astra, Renault Megane and the Nissan Almera - scored only one star out of four for pedestrian safety.