Munich - A speed difference of only 10 kilometres an hour is the thin line between life and death, according to a crash test recently conducted by Germany's automobile association (ADAC).

At a moderate speed of 80 km/h on a country road, the driver can still bring the vehicle to a standstill within 50 metres when braking hard.

But at a speed of only 10 km/h more at 100 km/h, the vehicle would crash into the obstacle at a speed of 64 km/h, the test found.

At that speed, the crash test vehicle, a Renault Laguna, still had an intact safety cell with the dummy driver, passenger and children on the rear seat, risking no serious injury, according to the test results. The airbags still functioned.

Yet a second test conducted with another Renault Laguna travelling at a speed of 110 km/h revealed an impact speed of 80 km/h with serious consequences for the vehicle occupants. The airbag had reached the end of its maximum protection and the driver dummy chest catapulted into the steering wheel with fatal results.

"The crash test proves that a difference of only 10 km/h can decide between life and death," the ADAC concluded after the test, pointing out that the Renault Laguna was a vehicle which received a high safety rating in the NCAP Euro crash test.

"Motorists should adapt their speed to poor visibility," the ADAC warned. (dpa)