Vehicle Facts
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Engineering progress on
vehicle safety has been remarkable over the past decade. Much, but
not all of this, is an indication of the success of the various New
Car Assessment Programs (Australia, Europe, the USA and Japan) in
driving improvements in vehicle safety. Where once one and two-star
cars were the norm, we now see consistent four and five-star results
in crash testing.
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Get the Facts
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Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)
ANCAP allows consumers to make more
informed decisions about the safety of the vehicles they drive. The
ANCAP program (which is supported by all State Governments, motoring
Clubs the Australian Automobile Association and the New Zealand
Government) involves crash testing motor vehicles under strictly
controlled conditions. ANCAP is closely linked to the European New Car
Assessment Program
(Euro NCAP).
Results from the tests illustrate the injury
levels that occupants may receive from a crash. Vehicles are tested
for frontal and side impacts, as well as the impact of pedestrians.
Testing of 4WD's are expected to take place later in 2004. Find out
more at the
ANCAP
website
To see what some European
manufacturers think of the New Car Assessment Programs,
click here. |
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ANCAP Crash Test
(click picture to find out more about ANCAP)
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Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR)
Monash University’s Accident
Research Centre (MUARC) in Melbourne has analysed crash records from more
than one million crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1987 and 2003.
Safety Ratings, which inlcude protection to drivers and harm to other road
users were calculated for 288 vehicles.
Download
the latest UCSR brochure
Improving vehicle safety
There are
still further advances available in passenger car safety in both
primary and secondary safety;
Active
or primary safety assists the
driver in preventing a crash. The new technology that has been
developed, and is continuing to be developed, include:
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Vehicle stability control;
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Brake assistance;
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Following distance alerts;
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Speed alerts and adaptive cruise control to
assist the driver from accidentally exceeding the speed limit;
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Few if any car manufacturers are as yet offering primary safety
features.
Secondary
safety protects the occupants in the event of a crash. This
involves the development of improved vehicle structures and the use
of advanced secondary features such as:
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Advanced seat belt systems
(i.e. pretensioners and load limiter seatbelts);
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Driver and passenger dual stage
frontal airbags;
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Side and curtain airbags to
protect both head and body in front cockpit;
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Rear passenger airbags;
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Not all new
cars offered for sale have all “state of the art” secondary safety
features available either as standard or as options.
Vehicles such
as the
TAC/MUARC/Ford SafeCar illustrate some of the improved
safety features that stand to benefit motorists in the not too
distant future.
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The TAC / MUARC / Ford SafeCar
(click picture to find out more about SafeCar)
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'De-specification'
While cars are becoming safer, there is clear evidence to show that
new cars sold in Australia often do not have the same safety
features fitted as in equivalent models overseas. To see an example
of the sort of vehicle "de-specification" that occurs,
following this
link to a presentation recently given by the AAA.
The extent of vehicle
“de-specification” in Australia is not limited to the cars or safety
features shown in this cursory examination. The problem is widespread, and
given the proven benefits of features such as airbags, this situation is far
from satisfactory. Furthermore, if this case exists for the easily observed
safety features, it raises the question of the extent of the problem with
less easily observed features such as structural design, which also have a
significant effect on vehicle crash worthiness.
Governments can play a
significant role in improving occupant protection, without necessarily
needing to regulate. Each year, Government fleet purchases account for
around 11% of new vehicle sales (AAI, 2003). Because of privatisation and
contracting out of Government functions, actual Government demand for new
vehicles is probably somewhat higher than this.
The Government should reduce
the extent of “de-specification” and improve the safety of cars generally,
by exercising its significant buying power to require higher safety
standards in fleet purchases. A good example of fleet purchasing policy is
that used by the
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). |
