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Safest Second-Hand Cars Revealed


Safest Second-Hand Cars Revealed

Author: NRMA MediaDate: 07 September 2010

NRMA Motoring & Services and the NSW Centre for Road Safety today released the 2010 Used Car Safety Ratings - derived from an analysis of injuries received from 5.4 million vehicle crashes reported to police.

NRMA vehicle safety expert Jack Haley said the ratings provided consumers essential information about the safety performance of vehicles in protecting both the occupant and other road users in a crash.

"The Used Car Safety Ratings are an excellent resource for motorists looking to purchase a safe second-hand vehicle because it measures the safety performance of these cars in real crashes," Mr Haley said.

"All vehicle classes have at least one vehicle that rated 'Good' while more than one-third (72) of the 199 vehicles were rated 'Good' or 'Excellent'."

NSW Centre for Road Safety Director Dr Soames Job said it was no surprise that the vehicles that had the best safety features were the ones that provided the most protection to occupants and pedestrians in a crash.

"What this report has outlined is that those cars that were built without safety in mind are the ones that provided the least protection to occupants and cause the most harm to other road users, such as pedestrians." Dr Job Said.

"People looking for used cars, especially younger drivers, should remember safety features that are standard on many of today's new cars may have only been an option on earlier models, if available at all. Features that help avoid a crash such as Electronic Stability Control and Emergency Brake Assist should be up there with side and curtain airbags on the essential safety features shopping list," Dr Job said.

The ratings were calculated by the Monash University Accident Research Centre which analysed injury outcomes to more than 5.4 million vehicles and one million injured road users in police-reported road crashes in New Zealand and Australia between 1987 and 2008.

The ratings reflect how well individual vehicle models protect both their own occupants and other road users - including cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and drivers of other vehicles - from injury in the event of a crash.

Dr Job said "We all want to drive a car that protects us in a crash but we also want everyone else to drive a car that keeps us safe if they crash into us."

"There ratings will help motorists to choose vehicles that achieve both these objectives," Dr Job said.

The 2010 Used Car Safety Ratings brochure is available at NRMA and RTA branches.

Contact: Daniel Stanton NRMA 0439 133 092
Shannon Mackay RTA 0438 272 701

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