Fact Sheet 5 - Safer Vehicles - Vehicle design, technology and occupant protection

The National Road Safety Strategy 2001 – 2010 estimated that a 10 percent reduction in Australia’s road fatality rate per 100,000 population by December 2010 could be achieved by improving vehicle occupant protection through safer vehicles (Australian Transport Council 2008, p8).

Modern vehicles have greater primary (proactive/crash avoidance, e.g., handling, stability and braking) and secondary (protective, e.g., seatbelts, airbags and crumple zones) safety features than their predecessors. The risk of death or serious injury for drivers involved in a tow-away crash in a car built between 2001 and 2006 is around half the risk for cars built between 1971 and 1976 (MUARC, as cited by Australian Transport Council 2008, p37).

Much, but not all, of this remarkable engineering progress can be attributed to the success of the various New Car Assessment Programs in driving improvements in secondary vehicle safety. Where once cars with one and two-star ratings for occupant protection were the norm, we are now regularly seeing four and five-star results being achieved in crash testing.

Vehicle owners have also enjoyed the safety benefits offered by innovative primary safety features, which increase the likelihood of avoiding a collision, e.g., anti-lock brakes and electronic traction and stability control systems. However, the uptake of these features has not been as rapid or widespread as the presence of secondary safety features among the existing vehicle fleet.

To help address this, since January 2008 vehicles have been required to have Electronic Stability Control/Programs fitted to be eligible for an Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) five-star rating. A federal requirement for all new passenger vehicle models sold in Australia to be fitted with ESC technology will come into effect from November 2011 and for all other models from November 2013 (Media Release: Federal Government Mandates New Life Saving Technology 23 June 2009).

RACQ members strongly support manufacturers building more vehicles with a wide range of primary/proactive and secondary/protective features, and also acknowledge the importance of complementary systems such as automatic emergency services crash notification.

However, there is clear evidence to show that new cars sold in Australia often do not have the same safety features fitted as equivalent models overseas. The extent of vehicle ‘de-specification’ in Australia is widespread and, given the proven benefits of features such as full airbag packages and Electronic Stability Control/Programs, this situation is far from satisfactory.

It is vital that sufficient information is provided to consumers about the crash avoidance benefits that primary safety features offer. Where the consumer is faced with the selection of these safety features as optional equipment at an additional cost, it is important that safety benefits be promoted over comfort’ or luxury accessories. The goal is to create consumer demand through improved awareness of the importance of buying vehicles with comprehensive packages of standard safety features.

Businesses and government agencies buy approximately half of all new vehicles sold in Australia (Australian Transport Council 2008, p38). Therefore, it is particularly important that vehicle fleet operators are made aware of the benefits of the various available safety features, as their market power can help influence manufacturers to make these features more widely available at a lower cost.

Priorities: Vehicle Design, Technology and Occupant Protection

1. Educate and encourage buyers (especially fleet operators) to choose vehicles with comprehensive primary and secondary safety features and monitor the purchasing trends in relation to these features.
   
   
2. Fast track the introduction of proven primary/proactive and secondary/ protective safety features as standard features on all new cars, rather than as options.
   
   
3. Continue to expand the scope of ANCAP testing to provide a better indication of a vehicle’s overall safety (i.e., evaluating primary safety features) and better reflect real world crashes (e.g., roll-over testing).
   
   
4. Introduce a ‘stars on cars’ program to help make purchasers more aware of their potential vehicle’s ANCAP crash testing performance.
   
   
5. Continue to research and promote the Used Car Safety Ratings, to help inform used vehicle buyers about how the vehicle performs in real-life crashes.
   
   
6. Encourage manufacturers to provide safer vehicles for occupants and vulnerable road users and reduce the crash incompatibility of large and small vehicles.
   
   
7. Convince vehicle manufacturers not to reduce the level of safety specification/equipment on vehicles sold in Australia as compared with the relevant versions overseas, and discourage the packaging of safety features with luxury/convenience/cosmetic options.

References

Australian Transport Council 2008, National Road Safety Action Plan 2009 and 2010, Australian Transport Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Market and Communications Research December 2008, RACQ Safety Policy Survey: Quantitative Research Report, Market and Communications Research, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.

Media Release: Federal Government Mandates New Life Saving Technology, 23 June 2009, Web Document, Accessed 29/09/09: http://www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au/aa/releases/2009/June/aa312_2009.htm   

Contact

For more information contact RACQ Traffic and Safety on 1300 853 658 or 07 3872 8925, or email traffic@racq.com.au.