Children are less well protected by safety features in recent car models than drivers and adult passengers, a new study says.
Crash test specialists European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) carried out the study, which involved 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.
Mr Max Mosley, Euro NCAP chairman, 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 . . . parents will put huge pressure on the people producing both the seats and the cars to improve safety," he said.
Overall, Euro NCAP found auto makers had vastly improved safety for passengers in the five years it has been testing newly-issued models, although progress in making cars less lethal for pedestrians involved in crashes was too slow.
Mr Mosley said auto makers 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.