Hi
Welcome to the next edition of the ANCAPStar – a round-up of the latest news and updates from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
ANCAP provides consumers with independent and transparent advice and information on the level of occupant protection and pedestrian protection provided by vehicles in the most common types of crashes. Our member organisations include the Australian and New Zealand automobile clubs, Australian Federal and State Governments, New Zealand Government, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation (UK).
Meet all of our member organisations.
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Latest Media Releases.
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12 June 2012
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Safety Ranks Highly Across New Releases
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The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) today announced more good news for consumers with the Mazda CX-5, Honda Civic Hatch and BMW 3 Series all awarded maximum 5 star ANCAP safety ratings. While not quite reaching the top rating, the all wheel drive variant of the new XUV500 SUV by Mahindra has recorded a creditable 4 star result with side curtain airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard features.
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30 May 2012
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New Crash Test Program for South East Asia
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The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) today congratulated the Malaysian Government on the establishment of a New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for the South East Asian region - ASEAN NCAP.
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29 May 2012
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BHP Billiton Announces 5 Star NCAP Fleet Policy
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The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) today applauded the announcement by multi-national resources company, BHP Billiton, to introduce a 5 star NCAP safety rating requirement across its worldwide vehicle fleet.
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Destination 2017: Rating Road Map extended.
In ensuring vehicle safety standards rise in line with the increase in available vehicle safety technologies, ANCAP has again raised the bar extending its Rating Road Map by another year to 2017. ANCAP's Rating Road Map was initially launched last year and mapped out the forward-looking five year period from 2011-2016. The annually updated Road Map outlines the safety requirements manufacturers must meet - within the corresponding vehicle release year - in order to achieve a 1 to 5 star ANCAP safety rating.
As with the development of the initial Road Map, this year's update was undertaken in close consultation with ANCAP stakeholders and the motor vehicle industry through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), and the New Zealand Motor Industry Association. In speaking about FCAI's collaboration with ANCAP, FCAI Policy Director, Phil Allan remarked, "ANCAP's Rating Road Map provides stability to manufacturers [five-year horizon]." "Whilst a 4 star car is still considered acceptable, the community is demanding safer vehicles."
The 2017 requirements place increased pressure on 1, 2 and 3 star rated vehicles, encouraging manufacturers to increase safety for these vehicles. Of the 400 vehicles which have received an ANCAP safety rating to date, around 14% still fall into the 1, 2 or 3 star classification hence the focus must be placed on increasing safety levels across these vehicles to ensure we reduce the unnecessary loss of life on Australian and New Zealand roads.
Key elements of the 2017 Road Map include:
- Mandatory requirements for:
- top tether anchorages in light commercial vehicles across all star ratings
- seat belt reminders in front row seats for 1, 2 and 3 star ratings
- Minimum ratings for:
- roof strength for 3 star rating
- pedestrian safety for 1 and 2 star ratings
- whiplash protection for 1 and 2 star ratings
- Increases to the number of additional Safety Assist Technologies (SAT) for 1, 2, 3 and 4 star ratings.
This year's Road Map release also introduces a definition of a 'new model' which is necessary for determining to which Road Map year the vehicle is to be assessed. A copy of the 2017 ANCAP Rating Road Map can be downloaded here. Copies of the quick reference Rating Road Map 2012-2017 pocket guide can be requested by emailing ancap@ancap.com.au.
The Euro NCAP Rating Road Map 2013-2017 has also been released and can be viewed here.
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NRSS progress report.
Twelve months after the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 (NRSS) was released by the Australian Transport Council in 2011, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Ms Catherine King MP, provided the first annual update on the progress of the NRSS to Parliament on 27 June 2012.
Ms King stated the Government was committed to tackling road safety, believing there is much the Australian community can, and must do to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Australia's roads. Ms King acknowledged it was a shared responsibility, with significant inroads to reduce the enormous burden of road trauma only possible if all levels of government and the community work in partnership.
The NRSS sets out an ambitious agenda for sustained road safety improvement, and is guided by the vision that no person should be killed or seriously injured on Australia's roads.
Ms King remarked a considerable amount of activity across the road safety spectrum was in progress, with action well underway to develop and implement improved safety standards for new vehicles. Ms King reminded the Parliament that the Australian Government is leading the way "to promote best-practice fleet purchasing policies by adopting a 5 star vehicles safety requirement for the Commonwealth fleet in 2011."
In the first year of the Strategy, improvements across a number of key indicators were already being seen including a 21% reduction in road deaths among 17-25 year old drivers and motorcycle riders, and a 9.5% decline in total road deaths relative to the strategy baseline.
Ms King said, "In driving forward the ambitious goals of the Strategy in this [vehicle safety regulation] area, the Australian Government has made it a requirement starting July 2013 that all new passenger cars, passenger vans and sports utility vehicles are fitted with driver's seatbelt reminder systems."
Over the next two years, the Government will evaluate the case for mandating a range of further measures including:
- Electronic Stability Control for light commercial vehicles;
- Brake assist technology for passenger cars;
- ABS technology for motorcycles; and
- ABS, lane departure warning systems and advance emergency braking systems for heavy vehicles.
To view Ms King's speech in full, click here.
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ANCAP hits the road to the Top End.
To assist in increasing awareness of ANCAP and educating the local community and industry on ANCAP's crash test program and safety rating system, a series of four information sessions was presented in Darwin and Alice Springs from 14-16 May 2012. Hosted by the Department of Lands and Planning, these sessions were attended by close to 100 representatives from the NT Government (road safety and fleet personnel), local dealerships, the NT Motor Trades Association, NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services, the Automobile Association of the Northern Territory, St Johns Ambulance, Local Government Association, driver training instructors and NT Motor Sports.
As a result of the awareness raised at these sessions, ANCAP marketing materials and crash test vision are being incorporated into the NT's DriveSafe NT driver licensing program. The NT Government are also considering introducing a Stars on Cars™ program to assist in raising the profile of vehicle safety across the Territory.
Forty nine Territorians were killed as a result of road incidents in the 12 months to April 2012, and whilst this is on the decline, it is still reducing at a more modest rate than that of the larger jurisdictions of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. In comparison, the annual deaths per 100,000 population for Australia is 5.7 whereas the rate for the Northern Territory is 21.2.
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Pictured above: Michael Paine (ANCAP), Brian Fildes (Monash University) and Andre Seeck (Euro NCAP).
ANCAP presence at Vehicle Safety Seminar in Europe
ANCAP Technical Manager, Michael Paine, visited Brussels last month, attending two major Euro NCAP events. Here is his report:
On Tuesday 12 June, Euro NCAP celebrated its 15th birthday. I was delighted to catch up with some founders of Euro NCAP - Adrian Hobbs and Keith Rogers - as well as many current Euro NCAP stakeholders. Euro NCAP President, Andre Seeck, gave a brief speech about the successes of Euro NCAP and other NCAPs around the world.
The Euro NCAP staff were extremely busy on the Tuesday preparing for the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) event the following day. I gave them a hand setting up the displays at the Autoworld Museum in Brussels.
AEB uses a variety of sensors to detect the risk of a forward collision. Depending on the design of the system, the AEB will warn the driver, prime the braking system to maximise driver-applied braking, or when it is too late for a driver response, apply the brakes. The automated braking action uses some of the same components as Electronic Stability Control.
The ideal outcome is to prevent a collision but even wiping several km/h off the collision speed can turn a fatal crash into a survivable one. Euro NCAP recognises three types of AEB: "City AEB" works with cars and other large objects at urban speeds; "Inter-city AEB"e; works over longer ranges and is designed for rural and highway speeds; and "Vulnerable Road User" (VRU AEB) is designed to detect pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Protocols are being developed to test the performance of each type of AEB. VRU AEB is the most challenging.
The AEB event was my main reason for visiting Brussels. It was an extremely professional and informative event. Several experts outlined their research on AEB and the predicted crash savings - which are in the range 20-40% of casualty crashes. Others described ways to encourage uptake of the technology. The European Commission stated they'd likely wait until real-world crash experience is able to demonstrate a favourable benefit/cost ratio before considering regulation while Euro NCAP will soon add AEB to its Safety Assist assessment with the scoring system to strongly encourage AEB.
Several manufacturers had demonstrations of AEB in production vehicles. Participants were invited to try them out in a closed-off section of the museum car park. I tried out the Mazda CX-5 and observed tests of the other models. All the AEB systems are designed to brake at the last possible moment, when there is no chance of the driver taking avoidance action. The degree of braking is therefore very severe. This has the intended advantage of discouraging drivers from relying on the AEB system for normal driving and not paying attention to the traffic ahead.
Matthew Avery from Thatcham Research asked me about developments with AEB in Australia. Matthew and his team are at the forefront of assessing the performance of AEB and he was on the expert panel for the Euro NCAP event. He said he would be happy to visit Australia and discuss their research and findings. AEB is included in the list of optional Safety Assist Technologies (SAT) in the ANCAP Road Map. When the Road Map is reviewed next year, it is possible there will be a strong case for making AEB mandatory to achieve a 5 star ANCAP safety rating.
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Decade of Action marks its first anniversary.
Friday 11 May 2012 marked the first anniversary of the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). To mark this occasion, the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) and Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) jointly hosted a seminar at Old Parliament House, Canberra. The event attracted 55 attendees from across the road safety spectrum.
The seminar provided the opportunity for road safety stakeholders to provide progress reports on their achievements in the first year of the Decade, as well as map out their future plans for the remaining years. Particular focus was placed on the local ACT and surrounding regions with updates provided by the ACT Government, ACT Policing, Kidsafe ACT, and the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust.
ANCAP Chairman, Mr Lauchlan McIntosh AM shared ANCAP's list of achievements from the past 12 months including:
- the publication of more than 60 ANCAP safety ratings
- a marked increase in brand awareness amongst consumers - rising from 48% to 64%
- a 44% increase in visits to the ANCAP website compared to the same period the year prior
- mentoring of the Malaysian Institution for Road Safety Research towards the establishment of ASEAN NCAP and a Malaysia-based crash test facility
- the development and publication of its initial Road Map outlining vehicle safety requirements for the forward-looking five year period and the introduction of mandatory and additional SAT requirements.
The Hon. Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, provided the keynote address recognising safer vehicles have a major role to play in reducing Australia's road toll.Under her portfolio, Ms King has responsibility for promoting and implementing the Australian Government's road safety initiatives set out in the National Road Safety Strategy (2011-2020). The Government has demonstrated its commitment to, and provided a significant boost to ANCAP's test program from 2010 when they joined ANCAP, requiring all of its new passenger vehicles entering the Australian Government vehicle fleet to hold the maximum 5 star ANCAP safety rating. In her address, Ms King noted 82% of the Australian Government passenger vehicle fleet now hold a 5 star ANCAP safety rating, and she encouraged state governments to follow the Federal Government's lead in mandating a 5
star fleet vehicle requirement. As of this month, the Australian Government has also implemented a minimum 4 star safety rating requirement for its light commercial vehicle fleet. Ms King also participated in a live demonstration of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with Subaru supplying a number of its vehicles which were equipped with their Eyesight technology. AEB is one of the safety assist technologies included in the ANCAP Rating Road Map.
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Crash tested Impreza finds new home.
Providing one of ANCAP's statutory write-offs with a new home is the Automotive, Electrical and Engineering faculty of Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE (GOTAFE). Located at GOTAFE's Automotive Campus in Wangaratta, north of Melbourne, is the 2012 model Subaru Impreza which was used in ANCAP's frontal offset test late last year. GOTAFE acquired the 5 star Impreza following the crash test, and it now takes pride of place as a training aid for students with many groups taking advantage of having a late model car to train on.
GOTAFE's Vehicle Body apprentices have been utilising the Impreza to look at the different steels used in construction as well as studying the structural impact. The crash test photos and video of the Impreza which were provided to GOTAFE along with the vehicle have also been instrumental in the students' learning as they are able to see how the impact affected different points around the vehicle, and witness how the energy of the crash has been transferred. The Automotive Mechanical apprentices have also used the vehicle to examine its SRS system and look at the mechanical failings (e.g. tail shaft, gear box) as a result of the impact. The Impreza will also be used for high structural steel training at the Certificate IV level.
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EOFY results.
While everyone else is crunching numbers at this time of year - affectionately known as "EOFY" - ANCAP too has pulled out the pencil and added up a few interesting statistics for the year ending 30 June 2012:
- 62 ANCAP safety ratings were published
- Of these, 38 were based on Euro NCAP test results and 24 from ANCAP crash testing
- 142 vehicles were destroyed in the name of safety
- 291 dummies lived to see another day (as they were lucky enough to travel in a 5 star car)
- A combined total of $2.06 million was spent on the purchase of vehicles and the conduct of ANCAP crash tests
- 41 vehicles were provided by manufacturers for ANCAP testing
With ANCAP's test program about to once again hit top gear from this month onwards, ANCAP hopes to exceed its 2011 calendar year record of 63 ratings published.
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State of the Australian Automotive Industry 2011.
At its annual dinner held on 7 May 2012, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries released its 2011 Annual Report containing details on the state of the Australian automotive industry. The Report acknowledged "2011 was the year the Australian automotive industry faced three combined and considerable challenges – a changing political landscape, tempestuous environmental events, and uncertain economic conditions."
"At home a minority Australian Government took office as extreme weather events devastated many Australian communities. Global uncertainty also overshadowed our economy while natural disasters impacted key product supply areas, most noticeably Japan and Thailand."
"The first six months of 2011 were tough, with vehicle sales considerably down on long-term averages and also on 2010 levels. The winter of 2011 was characterised by a sustained shortage of new vehicles from regions affected by tsunami, earthquake and floods, and it was only towards the end of the year that supply came close to meeting demand."
While taking these factors into account, the Australian new motor vehicle market staged a remarkable comeback in the second half of 2011 to finish above one million calendar-year sales for only the fourth time in history. A total of 1,008,437 new passenger vehicles, SUVs and commercial vehicles were purchased by consumers throughout 2011 with growth in the small car and medium SUV market segments (2.1% and 5.8% respectively). The 5 star Mazda 3 was the best-selling model for the year, just ahead of another 5 star performer - the Holden Commodore.
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New app putting crash test information at your fingertips.
We all use search engines and internet databases to keep ourselves updated on worldwide vehicle safety information and advancements, but how do we know they are up to date? What are the current requirements and regulations, and which information can we rely on when working in the field?
Automotive safety and vehicle communication products and services provider, CARHS, has just released a new application, SafetyWissen (translation, SafetyKnowledge), which will support automotive safety engineers in their daily need for relevant and updated information.
The SafetyWissen app will initially be available available in English, German, Chinese and Japanese for Windows, Mac and iPad platforms, and provides current requirements for automotive safety and the respective background information in structured tables, images and documents. "Searching" is replaced by "finding" and instead of using and evaluating various own or existing databases and search engines, information is available within just a few clicks (or taps for iPad users) in clearly defined and ordered categories. Information is presented in multiple levels - from management overview to the full relegation documents and protocols, including ANCAP's Notes on the Assessment Protocol
and other ANCAP-specific information. The app will be updated regularly.
To download SafetyWissen, or for more information visit carhs.com/app.
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Crash Laboratory Profile: CASR.
The Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at The University of Adelaide is internationally recognised as a leading research organisation in its field. The Centre conducts high quality independent research that enables rational decision making, leading to a reduction in the human and economic losses from road crashes.
The Centre is focused on:
- Conducting multidisciplinary research to understand how road crashes and the resulting injuries are caused
- Proposing and evaluating ways to prevent crashes and injuries
- Providing independent professional advice on road safety matters to government and non-government organisations in Australia and overseas.
A long term interest of CASR has been understanding pedestrian injuries and the influence of vehicle design on the severity of injuries sustained by pedestrians. The CASR Vehicle Testing Laboratory is a purpose built facility used for conducting investigations of pedestrian impacts. The laboratory is the official testing facility for the pedestrian component of ANCAP testing, and is the only facility of its kind in Australia.
These tests do not use full scale crash test dummies as is done with studies on occupant protection, rather 'sub-systems' that represent, separately, the head, upper leg, and lower leg of a pedestrian. These sub-system impactors are launched at the stationary vehicle.
CASR has been involved in this research for over 10 years. The laboratory was first established in Keswick, and then in 2012, with the help of ANCAP, was relocated to a new purpose built facility at Kent Town. Since opening, the facility has been a focus for promoting the importance of considering pedestrians in vehicle design.
Keep an eye out for further details about ANCAP's pedestrian testing in an upcoming edition of the ANCAPStar.
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Glad we got 'Involved'!
Involved are a design agency based in Melbourne and Sydney. Due to their experience with other related vehicle and road safety programs, Involved were engaged in 2009 to develop a new marketing strategy and consumer website for ANCAP. Working together since has resulted in increased awareness of ANCAP, with many more exciting projects planned.
Believing that great results can only begin with great content, Involved are passionate about information architecture, user experience, visual design and application development across a variety of mediums. Their work traverses marketing and ecommerce websites, mobile applications, content systems, database design, emarketing, branding and copywriting.
In addition to ANCAP, Involved has established relationship with clients such as AusRAP (ANCAP's sister program related to road safety), RACV and the Australian Automobile Association, ABC Television, and the Accor Hotel Group throughout Asia Pacific. Involved also work closely with The University of Melbourne on interaction research projects, and consult to smaller boutique clients such as vocal superstars The Idea of North, renowned author Drusilla Modjeska, Box Grove Vineyard in rural Victoria, and even those foxy suburbanites Kath & Kim. Community projects demand a large part of their time too, with continued not-for-profit and charity work for 1200kmsforkids and Jesuit Social Services amongst others.
Visit Involved at their Melbourne studio, or online at involved.com.au
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Sister program launches new website.
ANCAP's sister program which focuses on the safety of road infrastructure worldwide - the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) - has recently launched a new website. The revamped site features latest news and videos on iRAP activities; road assessment reports from countries around the world; and a 'donate' button to contribute to assist the Programme in accelerating the development and delivery of training that will help create sustainable road engineering safety programmes.
iRAP is a registered charity dedicated to preventing the more than 3,500 road deaths that occur every day worldwide through the inspection of high-risk roads and development of star ratings and Safer Roads Investment Plans. iRAP also provides training, technology and support that will build and sustain national, regional and local capability, and tracks road safety performance so that funding agencies can assess the benefits of their investments.
Road Assessment Programmes (RAP) are now active in some 70 countries throughout Europe; North, Central and South America, Africa and Asia Pacific and iRAP is co-chair of the Safer Roads Pillar of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration.
To view the revitalised website visit irap.org.
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Hyundai Motor America Chief backs safety.
Like millions of other three-year-old boys in the 1960s, John Krafcik spent hours driving his Matchbox cars down imaginary carpet roads, plunging them off cliffs of pillows, and skidding them across vinyl floors into spectacular crashes. But unlike other boys, Krafcik says, he knew even then that he was destined to work in the auto industry. The interesting cars his older brothers brought home and the Car and Driver magazine that landed on the family doorstep every month kept him hooked. "All I've ever really wanted to do is design cars," he says.
He got his wish in 2004 when he became vice president of product development and strategic planning for Hyundai Motor America, where he had enormous influence on the design of the models now in dealers' showrooms. But these days, he has more to do with marketing and selling cars than designing them. Since Krafcik became president and CEO in 2008, Hyundai Motor America has increased its U.S. market share from 3 percent to more than 5 percent and has helped make Hyundai the fifth-largest automaker in the world. It also became the first automaker to meet the federally imposed fuel economy standard calling for new car fleets to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016; four of its models are now rated by the EPA at more than 40 miles per gallon for highway driving...
...Passionate though he is about cars, however, he wishes the industry would take the lead in improving safety and efficiency instead of relying on governments to set standards. "We shouldn't wait to be regulated," he says. "This is a crazy stretch target, but maybe no one has to die in an automobile. We don't know how to get there, but I guarantee you that we would find extraordinary ways to reduce fatalities in cars. I know we could do it - if we could all just sign up for it."
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Ford support continues.
In its most recent edition of FordFleet News, the achievements of the 5 star Ford Ranger were again highlighted as it took out the "best of the best" in Delivery Magazine's Ute of the Year competition. The Ford Ranger was designed and engineered in Australia and achieved the top 5 star ANCAP safety rating in its category in October 2011.
In the same edition of FordFleet News, ANCAP again featured in an article "Making safer choices with ANCAP". The article highlighted Ford's pride in having numerous 5 star ANCAP safety ratings across their fleet including the Territory, Kuga, Falcon, Falcon Ute, Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, and of course Ranger models.
Thanks for the support Ford, and keep on reaching for the stars! |
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Spotted on the streets.
During a recent trip to Albury-Wodonga in regional Victoria (or is it NSW?), it was hard to miss the local Kia dealer, McRae Motors, who was spotted on the streets showcasing the 5 star ANCAP safety rating of the Kia Sportage. Emblazoned on both sides and the rear of the current CRDI model was the 5 star ANCAP logo - proving safety is one of the chief sales mechanisms being used by dealers in both metropolitan and regional centres.
All variants of the Kia Sportage (2010 onwards) hold the maximum 5 star ANCAP safety rating. McRae Motors is the regions' Holden, Nissan and Kia dealer.
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You asked us...
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We own a 1989 Toyota Cressida GLE. The structure is extremely strong, but it has no airbags, nor many other safety features. To what extent does the structural strength compensate for the absence of other features?
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Our expert said...
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Although a strong passenger compartment structure is an important component of occupant protection it needs to be combined with an effective restraint system with seat belts and airbags. Airbags that protect the head typically halve the risk of a serious head injury in a frontal or side crash. So for every 10 people who suffer serious/fatal head injuries in a vehicle without an airbag, five would have not been injured if an airbag had been present.
Your Cressida is older than ANCAP, which began in 1992, so there are no crash test results available however very few vehicles of that vintage had the structure to cope well with the 64km/h frontal offset crash test (perhaps some Volvos) - unfortunately there is nothing to suggest the Cressida was one of them.
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Just after 9.30am this morning emergency services responded to a two-car collision at the intersection of Boundary Road and Francis Greenway Drive, Cherrybrook, NSW.
Ambulance Service of NSW Inspector Brian Parsell said, "A woman was trapped in her vehicle for 30 minutes after having rolled several times on Boundary Road. The 29 year old woman from Glenorie was on her way to work when her vehicle collided with another car at the intersection. The woman had a brief loss of consciousness with no recollection of the accident."
The woman in the overturned vehicle suffered back and neck injuries. After being stabilised by Ambulance Paramedics she was cut free from the wreckage by Castle Hill Fire Rescue and taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.
"Fortunately the woman's vehicle had a 5 star ANCAP [safety] rating, and all six airbags deployed in the rollover. The safety features of her vehicle undoubtedly saved her from more serious injury," Inspector Parsell said.
Article in Hills Shire Times, 26 April 2012
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