Major changes ahead for crash tests

FLEETS will find it easier to identify the safest cars on sale in the UK from February next year with the radical overhauling of crash testing under the European New Car Assessment Programme to focus on electronic stability control (ESC).

The development sees ESC, which has been billed as the most significant life-saving technology since the introduction of the seat-belt, become the focal point for models to achieve Euro NCAP’s top five-star safety rating. Indeed, it will be impossible for a model to be rewarded with five stars unless it is equipped with ESC as standard.

Since the launch of the Euro NCAP crash test programme in 1997, an increasing number of models have gained the top five-star rating for adult occupant protection thus making the majority of new models ‘broadly similar’ in the safety stakes.

As a result, Euro NCAP has been looking at overhauling its crash test regime to encourage manufacturers to fit an increasing array of life-saving technology to vehicles and make it easier for car buyers to take to the road in the ‘stand-out’ safest vehicles.

Released

Recently, Euro NCAP released the last batch of results for12 cars, which were tested under the existing regime that gives a star rating for adult occupant protection, child occupant protection and a pedestrian protection rating.

In addition, Euro NCAP is also now testing car seats for protection against whiplash, one of the most significant injuries sustained by vehicle occupants in car crashes. The whiplash results for the first 25 cars to be tested have also just been released (see further down).

The changes in testing mean that from February next year a new five-star single overall vehicle safety rating replaces the current star ratings in use since 1997.

The overall rating will be composed from scores achieved in four areas of assessment adult occupant, child occupant, pedestrian protection and a new area: safety assist. The introduction of safety assist now allows Euro NCAP to consider driver assistance systems and active safety technologies, which research shows play an increasingly important role in accident avoidance and injury mitigation.

From 2009, this whiplash test will automatically be included as part of Euro NCAP’s first area of assessment, adult occupant protection.

Under the new scoring system, vehicles will need to do well in each area of assessment to achieve a good overall result. In particular, it will be impossible for a carmaker to achieve five stars in the tested vehicle without the standard fitment of ESC in the majority of variants sold.

Achieve

Initially manufacturers will only be able to achieve a five-star rating if 85% of the model range tested has ESC as standard - always assuming that the model performs well in other aspects of the crash tests. A range where less than 85% of models are not equipped with ESC or the technology is only available as an option, will automatically be unable to achieve the top five-star rating and will have to make do with a one to four-star rating.

And, Euro NCAP is putting the pressure on vehicle manufacturers to increasingly standard fit ESC as the 85% figure rises to 90% in 2010, 95% in 2011 and 100% in 2012.

A Euro NCAP spokeswoman said: “Statistics reveal that ESC plays such a major role in reducing deaths on our roads, Euro NCAP believes no car should be able to achieve five stars without it.

“We are coercing motor manufacturers to fit ESC to their models, but are giving them time to react to the changes by initially giving them some leeway.”

Range

And, in the future, as an increasing range of new safety technology is added to vehicles the crash tests will be continuously reviewed to reward progressive manufacturers. The spokeswoman added: “Carmakers that make breakthroughs in safety technology will be rewarded.”

Dr Michiel Van Ratingen, secretary-general of Euro NCAP said: “There is no doubt that this new overall rating will provide clear challenges to industry, but at the same time it will create opportunities for manufacturers to be rewarded for their dedication to safety. Euro NCAP needs to continually evolve with innovation and ensure that consumers can be confident that the rating remains updated and a true reflection of the safety performance of their vehicles.”

Euro NCAP is also confident that the test changes will increasingly encourage vehicle manufacturers to design models that are more sensitive to the protection of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

The crash test organisation has, in recent years, regularly criticised carmakers for failing to make ‘clear progress’ in reducing the likelihood of these people suffering serious injury or death if they are involved in a collision with a car. Cars that perform well in pedestrian protection tests can gain a maximum of four stars. But only the Citroen C6 has achieved that landmark and only a handful of other models have notched a three-star rating.

Euro NCAP believes that many manufacturers set out to achieve high scores for adult occupant protection to attract buyers, whilst compromising safety investment in other areas. As a result, it hopes that the new single star rating will encourage a safety focus from carmakers across all areas.

Challenge

Mr van Ratingen added: “I have no doubt that manufacturers will step up to the challenge.

“The creation of new technologies means enhanced safety performance and a potential reduction of fatalities on our roads. We intend to reward those manufacturers that make this their ultimate goal.”

Car buyers interested in a particular area of assessment such as adult protection or child protection will still be able to compare different vehicles as the individual scores that make up the overall rating will also be available on Euro NCAP’s website www.euroncap.com

Euro NCAP results are listed below (only vehicles tested in the past two years). For previous test results visit www.euroncap.com

RoadSafe welcomes new safety move

Demand from safety campaigners for the anti-skid technology to be widely available on vehicles has been the subject of the long-running Europe-wide ‘Choose ESC!’ campaign, which in the UK has been promoted by RoadSafe.

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh said: “ESC saves lives. Therefore, the changes to the Euro NCAP crash test programme should encourage more motor manufacturers to fit the technology as standard to their models.

“With businesses responsible for buying the majority of new cars in the UK I would encourage all fleet decision-makers to look for the new five-star symbol when it is launched in February next year – until then choose a car with five stars and ESC.”

Standard

Currently just over 50% of all new cars on sale in the UK have ESC fitted as standard. However, Department for Transport research suggests that vehicles equipped with the technology are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those without it. That equates to 380 fatal crashes and the reduction of injuries to 7,800 people a year.

Mr Walsh added: “When staff are involved in road crashes the impact on business costs and company productivity is enormous. Investment in safety therefore offers huge cost-savings, crucial with the UK and global economies on the brink of recession with 2009 forecasted to be an extremely tough year.

“Investment in safety starts with employees driving ‘safe’ cars and there is no doubt that models equipped with ESC are safer than those without. It therefore makes sense for companies to base their fleet choice lists around cars that are equipped with ESC.”

Changes to the Euro NCAP crash test programme are designed to increase the number of cars on sale with ESC to 100% as soon as possible.

Mr Walsh concluded: “If fleets focus on only operating cars with ESC as standard they are undoubtedly taking action to help their staff avoid crashes.

“In addition, because the overwhelming majority of new cars are bought with corporate cash, when company cars are defleeted the proliferation of ESC-equipped cars in the used car market will rise.

“In turn this means that many more secondhand cars buyers will benefit from the technology so potentially helping to further reduce death and injury on the UK’s roads.”

Euro NCAP Results (only vehicles tested since 2006)

For previous test results visit www.euroncap.com

Manufacturers have ‘a long way to go’ on seat design

Euro NCAP has carried out whiplash tests on 25 cars for the first time and only five received the organisation’s top ‘good’ rating with the remaining 80% of seats needing improvement. Top marks were given to the Volvo XC60, Alfa Romeo Mito, Volkswagen Golf VI, Audi A4 and Vauxhall Insignia

The crash test results were published as the Association of British Insurers called for action to reduce what it called the ‘epidemic’ in whiplash injuries as a result of vehicle crashes. The ABI says compensation claims now total almost £2 billion a year.

Every day, says the ABI, nearly 1,200 people claim for whiplash following a motor collision. This figure has risen by a quarter in the last five years, and is six times the number of workplace injury claims made each year

The ABI report, ‘Tackling Whiplash: Prevention, Care, Compensation’, highlights that:

• Over 430,000 people claimed for whiplash in 2007, up by a quarter in the last five years. These claims cost nearly £2 billion a year in compensation
• Treating whiplash injuries now costs the NHS approximately £8 million a year in consultation fees
• The UK is the whiplash capital of Europe: 75% of motor personal injury claims are for whiplash, compared to an average of 40% throughout the rest of Europe
• Many drivers and passengers are at risk: 75% of drivers are unaware how head restraints should be correctly positioned.

The reasons for the rise in whiplash include: motorists tailgating the car in front, and incorrectly adjusted head restraints.

ABI proposals for reducing whiplash and its effects include:

• The Government’s proposed new framework for learner drivers emphasising the importance of safe following distances
• Vehicle retailers demonstrating, when selling a vehicle, how to correctly adjust the head restraint
• The Government developing and implementing clear guidance on how to effectively diagnose and treat whiplash.

Meanwhile, Euro NCAP said it was concerned by the surprisingly low number of seats receiving a ‘good’ result when the cars tested were newly available in the marketplace.

Eight seats fitted to the 25 cars were rated as ‘poor’ meaning that seat occupants have a ‘significantly higher risk’ of developing a long-term injury in the case of a low speed rear end collision. These cars were the Daihatsu Cuore, Citroen Berlingo, Hyundai i10, Citroen C5, Ford Kuga, Daihatsu Terios, Peugeot 308CC and the Suzuki Splash.

Three of the eight seats that achieved a ‘poor’ result were from cars that were awarded five stars in Euro NCAP’s adult occupant protection rating during 2008. They were the Citroen C5, Ford Kuga and the Peugeot 308 CC.

With whiplash due to be tested as part of Euro NCAP’s revised crash testing procedures being introduced in February next year, the organisation said that if judged under the new regime, the overall rating for those vehicles would be ‘significantly affected’ by the low scores received in the whiplash tests.

The remaining 12 models received a ‘marginal’ result, indicating that although the seats incorporated some beneficial qualities, additional improvement was necessary.

Euro NCAP board member Andrew Miller, director of Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, which undertakes whiplash tests, said: “These results show a real need for some manufacturers to take a long hard look at their seat design. The new series of tests do show some seats – previously thought to be adequate – are just not offering motorists and their passengers’ proper protection.”

In announcing the results, Euro NCAP said that vehicle price did not seem to be reflected in the performance of the seat. Both expensive and cheaper cars did well and not so well. For example, said the organisation, the pro-active head restraints such as those equipped in the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class – both classed as ‘marginal’ in the tests – did not fully live up to their claims.

Result details can be accessed at www.euroncap.com

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