ANCAP adds car safety testing to protect bike, scooter riders
New ANCAP safety tests designed to encourage technologies to prevent car doors being opened in the path of cyclists.
‘Dooring’ is a term that most Australians are probably unfamiliar with, but if you’re a cyclist travelling on public roads and bike paths, it’s a very real threat to be wary of on every ride.
Dooring refers to vehicle occupants opening car doors without first checking for approaching cyclists, usually from behind, creating a potentially life-threatening accident hazard for cyclists, scooter riders and others.
According to the cycling website bicyclenetwork.com.au dooring is one of the most common crash causes for riders, because bike lanes often overlap the door zone, or the space taken by the open door of a parked vehicle.
To reduce the risk of these dooring crashes the Australasian New Car Assessment Program’s (ANCAP’s) new 2023–25 test and rating criteria will encourage the inclusion of anti-dooring technology in all new vehicles.
The independent safety organisation will assess the presence and effectiveness of anti-dooring technology on all vehicles rated from 2023, as part of its routine safety rating process.
The vehicle being tested must alert the occupants of a cyclist approaching from behind – either through visual ‘information’ displayed in the field of view of the front side window (e.g. warning light on door); an audible and/or haptic ‘warning’ alert; or by physically preventing occupants from opening the door (either driver door only or all doors) through a lock delay or two-stage door handle.
The new test scenarios feature a cyclist approaching a parked test vehicle from behind at 15km/h, with tests to be conducted on both sides of the vehicle.
The test protocol requires a second obstruction vehicle to be parked 2m behind the test vehicle, and for the cyclist dummy to travel along the road, parallel to the parked vehicles at a 1m distance from the side of the test and obstruction vehicles.
According to ANCAP, performance in these tests contributes one point to the potential nine points scored for the AEB/AEB cyclist category.
This score contributes to the overall star rating through the Vulnerable Road User Protection pillar, with a 70% threshold required in the latter for a vehicle to be eligible for five stars in 2023.
ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said dooring was a serious risk for cyclists, particularly in cities and other built-up shared zones.
“One of the ways we can help prevent these incidents is to encourage in-car technology that reminds car drivers and their passengers to check for cyclists before they exit their vehicle and where there is a real risk, temporarily prevent them from opening their door until the cyclist has passed,” Ms Hoorweg said.
A small number of brands, including Audi, Lexus and Kia, currently include anti-dooring technology on some models, as do the facelifted Hyundai Santa Fe and new Mazda CX-60, but Ms Hoorweg said this number was likely to increase significantly with the new requirement.
More articles
Related topics
Things to note
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.
Insurance Products (excluding Travel Insurance) are issued by RACQ Insurance Limited ABN 50 009 704 152 (RACQI) and arranged by RACQ Distribution Services Pty Ltd (RDS) ABN 35 116 361 650, AFSL 567130 and RDS' authorised representatives (including RACQ Operations Pty Ltd ABN 80 009 663 414, AR No. 234978 (RACQO)). Conditions, limits and exclusions apply.
Any advice provided by RDS and RACQO is general advice only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs and you will need to consider whether the advice is appropriate for you. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before making a purchase decision on the product. You can also access our Target Market Determinations on this website.
RDS receives a commission from RACQI for the policies it arranges. RACQO receives fees paid for services it provides to RDS. Further details about remuneration are available on request prior to purchasing.
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending policies apply. This is general advice only and may not be right for you. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Financial Services Guide and the Terms and Conditions, and consider if appropriate for you before deciding.
Except for RACQ Bank, any RACQ entity referred to on this page is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). That entity’s obligations do not represent deposits or other liabilities of RACQ Bank. RACQ Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of that entity, unless noted otherwise.
RACQ Bank subscribes to the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice which establishes higher standards than the law requires. The Code reflects modern consumer expectations and developments in approaches to issues such as consumer vulnerability, guarantors, and supporting customers through financial hardship. Please read our Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice page for more information.
RACQ Operations Pty Ltd (ABN 80 009 663 414, AR No. 234978) and Members Travel Group Pty Ltd (ABN 45 144 538 803, AR No.432492) (RACQ) are authorised representatives of the RACQ Travel Insurance insurer Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548) (Tokio Marine). Tokio Marine Management (Australasia) Pty Ltd (ABN 69 001 488 455, AR No. 1313066) is an authorised representative of Tokio Marine, and administers RACQ Travel Insurance as the managing agent on behalf of Tokio Marine. Terms, conditions (including eligibility criteria), exclusions, limits and sub-limits apply. Any advice is general advice only, and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. Before you purchase, please consider the Combined Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) / Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Target Market Determinations (TMDs) available at racq.com or on request from RACQ.