By Lisa Jucca
BRUSSELS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Carmakers across the world will have to redesign the front of their vehicles under European Union rules adopted on Monday to ensure that fewer pedestrians and cyclists die in collisions.
The rules make into binding law an existing voluntary agreement between the European Commission and world manufacturers.
Carmakers will not be able to sell their cars in the EU after October 1, 2005 unless they conduct strict tests on their vehicles, which are spelt out in detail in the new legislation.
"This is the only region in the world where this is done," European Commission spokesman Per Haugaard told reporters.
"It is part of our overall road safety standards whereby we want to reduce deaths on the road by 50 percent by 2010."
According to data from the EU Commission, which drafted the road rules, each year 9,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed in Europe and a further 200,000 injured in accidents with cars.
Industry will have no problem meeting the rules because they mirror voluntary commitments taken in 2001, Haugaard said.
Consumer associations say the rules are a step forward from the existing non-binding agreement, which was deemed insufficient. The European Parliament had also asked for binding legislation.
"We have been arguing for 10 years for implementing better safety tests for cars. These tests should have been implemented in a directive rather than in a voluntary agreement," said Charlotte de Roo, safety and health officer for European consumers' association BEUC.
The tests enshrined in the directive had been developed by the European Enhanced Safety Vehicle Committee, a committee of experts and regulators from the EU member states.
As part of its road safety proposal, the EU is also working on a second proposal to encourage the introduction of anti-locking ABS breaks and abolish bull bars on the front of vehicles.