A consortium led by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has developed a Save-U car that can prevent accidents and is capable of spotting pedestrians who stray on to the road.

A prototype of the system developed by the consortium has already undergone successful testing in Britain. It uses three different types of sensors to identify a person, or even a cyclist, in the road ahead, reports the online edition of New Scientist.

The system harnesses an array of radar sensors, as well as visual and infrared cameras.

A connected computer can then identify an impending impact and either alert the driver or take its own evasive action, it says.

"The main idea is that the sensors will recognise pedestrians and if a pedestrian has a high probability to collide with the vehicle then automatic braking will be initiated by the system," says Marc-Michael Meinecke of Volkswagen.

Meinecke admits the sensors must be shrunk and the image recognition software improved before such technology can find its way into road vehicles. But he says that tests have demonstrated that the Save-U could indeed save pedestrians' lives.