Air bags on the outside of cars could be big lifesavers and should be compulsory on all new cars, according to the Dutch Cycling Federation. It has produced figures that show that 60 lives could be saved each year on roads in Holland if crash bags were installed on car bonnets. They go on to say that such devices could cut serious injuries by 1,500.

A spokesman for the Federation said that external protection is badly lagging behind occupant protection in the vehicle and called on politicians and the car industry to take measures that could limit the chance of serious injury.

Swedish firm Autoli, the world's biggest air-bag and seat-belt maker, has already developed a bag that inflates from the base of a car's windscreen and says the technology could be introduced on new cars for relatively little cost. However, it seems that unless carmakers are compelled to do so by the EU there is little chance of external airbags making it on to vehicles in the near future.