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2017 car safety guide released

Posted on 06 September, 2017

AA has published their User Car Safety Ratings guide, updated for 2017. Released today, the guide is the result of in-depth analysis by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) of real-world crash data collected in both New Zealand and Australia. The guide is updated annually and now provides safety ratings on 279 used vehicles built between 1986 and 2015. This year, it lists 106 of them as good or excellent, and a further 113 are categorised as poor or very poor. 60 are considered marginal. Ahead of the general election on 23 September, the AA is calling for vehicle safety information to be provided at the point of sale, similar to fuel economy information already available. AA Motoring Services general manager Stella Stocks says New Zealand has a huge second-hand car market, and that the average age of used imports is increasing. “This means the gap between the safety performance of used and new cars is widening.” Stocks says that for many motorists the safety difference between cars is not immediately apparent, and there are important distinctions that consumer should have easy access to. “Motorists, especially people buying cars for the first time, can easily be overwhelmed by what is available and can find it difficult to work out which factors they should consider most.” Many of the poorest performing vehicles are often driven by novice drivers who are more likely to be involved in a crash. Ministry of Transport data shows younger drivers are seven times more likely to crash than those with more experience behind the wheel. Ms Stocks says while younger drivers will often have more modest budgets, they need the best protection. “The guide shows which cars are the safest across all categories, which is why we want the information available at the point of sale. It enables buyers to consider safety performance of one vehicle against another before they get behind the wheel. “Buyers can’t make the right choice without the right information.” New car crash test results are provided by the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP). The work conducted by MUARC show that a driver of the worst-rated vehicle is more than 10 times as likely to be killed or seriously injured in the same crash as a driver in the best-rated vehicle. Used Car Safety Ratings can be found on the AA’s website.