Improving vehicle safety
Safer vehicles on our roads means fewer lives lost and fewer Victorians suffering serious injuries in road crashes. New standards, features and technologies are now available to consumers, vehicle builders and road designers to significantly improve the safety of vehicles on Victorian roads over the next 10 years. The Government will play a vital leadership role by committing to purchase safer vehicles.
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) / Used Car Safety Ratings
New and used car safety ratings provide an indication of a vehicle’s ability to protect its occupants and other road users in a crash. These can be used to measure improvements in the average crash rating of vehicles on Victoria’s roads. It is vital that these results are communicated to consumers to help them to make safe choices when buying a car.
Electronic stability control (ESC)
ESC helps drivers to avoid crashes by reducing the danger of skidding, or losing control as a result of oversteering. It uses computer control technology to apply individual brakes to bring the car safely back on track, without the danger of fishtailing. Australian research indicates that ESC reduces the risk of single vehicle crashes, across all vehicle types, by approximately 30 per cent. For 4WD vehicles, the crash risk can be reduced by over 50 per cent.
Side curtain air bags
Side curtain air bags, which deploy from the roof-rail above the door, provide head and neck protection for front and rear seat passengers, particularly in the event of a side impact crash. Research from the USA indicates that this technology can reduce the risk of death in a side impact crash by up to 40 per cent.
Next generation technologies
Next generation technologies such as intelligent speed assist (ISA), lane departure warning systems and fatigue monitoring devices have the potential to reduce crashes and save lives. Intelligent speed assist (ISA) for instance automatically warns a driver when they intentionally or inadvertently travel over the speed limit. Most ISA systems establish the position of the vehicle on the road, and compares the current speed of the vehicle with the speed limit at that location. The system then issues warnings if the vehicle exceeds this limit.
These technologies need to be assessed and demonstrated, with a view to developing future markets for those which are most effective.
Fleet vehicles
With around one-quarter of road fatalities involving fleet vehicles, encouraging the purchase of fleet vehicles with high level safety features has the potential to significantly improve road safety. The flow-on benefits from safe fleet vehicles are considerable, given that about one-half of new vehicles in Australia are purchased for commercial purposes and most of these enter the private vehicle market within two to three years.
The Government will play a vital leadership role by committing to purchase safer vehicles and mandating the use of electronic stability control (ESC) and head protecting technologies in its fleet.
