Cars built in the year 2000 or earlier account for more than a third of fatal crashes, according to a new analysis from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.
The automotive industry may have turned its sights to self-driving cars and smart technology, but what really sets today’s cars apart from their predecessors is something far more important – they’ re much, much safer.
Cars built in the year 2000 or earlier account for more than a third of fatal crashes, according to a new analysis from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.
As shocking footage from recent crash tests reveals the dramatic difference between older cars and those made in the last few years, experts warn that these at-risk vehicles also tend to be operated by the most at-risk drivers.
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The researchers with ANCAP, Australia and New Zealand’s independent vehicle safety advocate, pitted old and new cars against each other in car-to-car crash tests, with shocking results.
‘The test physically illustrates the benefits of newer, safer cars,’ said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, James Goodwin.
In the tests, a 1998 Toyota Corolla and the 2015 model were driven toward a head-on collision at 64 kilometers per hour.
While newer cars were found to perform ‘very well,’ older vehicles did not hold up well at all, with severe consequences for the dummy driver inside.
‘The older car sustained catastrophic structural failure with dummy readings showing an extremely high risk of serious head, chest, and leg injury to the driver,’ Goodwin said.
‘It achieved a score of just .40 out of 16 points – zero stars.
‘In contrast, the current model performed very well with a five star level of protection offered, scoring 12.93 out of 16 points.’
In Australia, the analysis found that vehicles built 2000 or earlier make up just a small fraction of registered cars on the roads, at 20 percent.
But, they’ re involved in 33 percent of fatal crashes.
Vehicles made between 2011 and 2016, on the other hand, make up a higher proportion of the fleet, at 31 percent, and are involved in only 13 percent of fatal crashes.
‘It is concerning the rates of fatal crashes is four times higher for older vehicles than for new vehicles,’ Goodwin said.
‘We’ ve been tracking the average age of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash, and in just one year we’ ve seen that average increase from 12.5 years to 12.9 years.
‘This highlights the need for a renewed national focus and greater support for safer vehicles.’
In New Zealand, the researchers saw a similarly worrying trend.
The average age of the vehicle fleet is 14.3 years in New Zealand, while the average age of vehicles involved in fatal crashes is 15.6.
And, at-risk cars are often operated by at-risk drivers.
‘It is unfortunate we tend to see our most at-risk drivers – the young and inexperienced, as well as the elderly and more frail – in the most at-risk vehicles, and we hope this test promotes a conversation to encourage all motorists to consider the safety of their car,’ Goodwin said.
‘Safety is not a luxury and we want everyone to remain safe on the road, so consumers should look for the safest car they can afford and the safest car that suits their needs.
‘The outcomes of this test are stark and the automotive, finance, and insurance industries can play a part to assist in encouraging people into newer, safer cars.’
