Choosing a safe vehicle may be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Driving a car that has recognised safety features and a high safety rating is an essential aspect in ensuring safer travel on our roads. Whether you are purchasing a new or used car or privately importing a vehicle, there is information available to assist you in making the best decision for the safest vehicle for your needs.

Many of the deaths and serious injuries that result from crashes on our roads would have been prevented or reduced in severity had drivers chosen a safer vehicle. Safety features - such as Anti lock braking system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), side, front and curtain airbags, daytime running lights, 3 point seat belt design in all positions,front and back seat headrests, traction control, car crumple zones and vehicle bodies designed to minimise the forces on their occupants - are critical.

The design of safe vehicles is addressed through the national Australian Design Rules (ADR), developed in accordance with the Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989. New features are also developed and incorporated in new cars to make them more appealing to the market.

New Vehicles

Through the Australian Design Rules, the Australian Government has jurisdiction over motor vehicles up to the point of first supply to the market. From that point, the states and territories are responsible for regulation of all vehicles that are in service, including registration, licensing, roadworthiness and operational requirements.

Stars on Cars program

Stars on Cars is a partnership between the Government of South Australia and participating new car dealers promoting 4 and 5 star ANCAP rated vehicles.

Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)

The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) gives consumers consistent information on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in the event of serious front and side crashes.

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure is a significant financial and contributing member to ongoing new vehicle crash testing, through the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

This program is also supported by Australian and New Zealand automobile clubs, the state government road and transport authorities in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, the New Zealand Government, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and the Insurance Australia Group (IAG) Ltd..

Test results from ANCAP were first published in 1993. Studies conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) have found that ANCAP crash test results are a good predictor of new vehicles' on-road crash performance.

ANCAP tests a vehicles ability to protect its occupants in a severe collision.

Vehicles are subjected to a range of standard crash tests to gauge the level of occupant safety rated on a star system from one to five stars. Pedestrian safety provided by the vehicle is also rated on a star system from one (minimum score) to four stars.

Vehicle buyers can use the crash tests as a guide to comparing the safety of models when purchasing a vehicle. However, they must be convinced that safety features should be given priority when they decide to buy.

Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR)

Used Car Safety Ratings (PDF buyers guide) help you identify safer second hand cars.

UCSR is conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) and supported by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and VicRoads as well as other state and federal road authorities and motoring clubs in Australia and New Zealand. It is the worlds largest study of vehicle crashes.

The first Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) were conducted in Australia in 1990 and are published annually. This new release gives safety ratings for 197 vehicle models which cover most of the popular vehicles in the Australian and New Zealand fleets manufactured from 1996 to 2011. Records from over 5 million vehicles in Police-reported road crashes in Australia and New Zealand between 1996-2010 were analyised by MUARC.

Each of the driver protection ratings in the 2012 update has been recalculated based on the most recent crash data available so they are not comparable with the ratings published in previous years. Models of vehicles that cause lower injuries to other road users with which they collide, including other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, as well as providing excellent protection for their own driver, are awarded the “Safe Pick” label.

The score for each individual model can be compared against the ratings for all other vehicles.

The driver protection ratings are about the risk of death or serious injury to the driver of the vehicle in the event of a crash. The ratings are not about the risk of being involved in the crash in the first place, which is generally determined by a range of factors including driver behaviour, vehicle condition and the road environment.

The ANCAP rating method differs to the UCSR ratings method. ANCAP ratings are based on laboratory crash tests that predict the relative occupant protection level of each tested vehicle, in a serious crash. The UCSR ratings are based on records of over two million on-road crashes that have occurred over a number of years.

>> read more on Choosing a safe second hand car.

Imported vehicles

There are several requirements to satisfy if you plan to privately import a motor vehicle into Australia. The process is outlined in the Australian Customs Service website.

Colour

Although it is difficult to draw firm conclusions regarding the link between vehicle safety and vehicle colour, studies from various countries indicate that lighter coloured vehicles had slightly less involvement in road crashes than darker coloured vehicles. Lighter colour vehicles provide better visibility to other road users.

Initiatives

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) has included various active and passive safety features in their light vehicle leasing policy (active features assist the driver to avoid a crash and passive features protect the occupant in the event of a crash). The purpose of the policy is to enable a more rigorous safety focused approach to light vehicle leasing across the DPTI light vehicle fleet.

Links

Australian Design Rules  

Vehicle Regulation 

Used Car Safety Ratings (300Kb PDF)

Stars on cars