The Three Life-Saving Questions

4 May 2016

The three life saving questions which need to be asked by new car buyers or those responsible for providing cars for their employees are:

• Choosing a car that has the full range of safety features as standard will ensure optimum protection and help reduce the number of crashes and deaths on UK roads
• Autonomous Emergency Braking leads the way as a must-have feature on any new car
• Carmakers dealers and fleet suppliers should be making it easier for consumers to understand what advanced driver assistance systems do and why they are important – as well as being absolutely clear about which cars have the highest standard safety specification

Four major automotive names joined forces at the London Motor Show as part of the Global NCAP partnership to ensure that consumers considering buying a new car know the life-saving questions they must ask their dealer before making their choice, namely:

 1. What Euro NCAP test rating does this car have?

 2. Is Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) fitted to this car – and is it standard?

 3. What else should I do to maximise the safety protection offered by this car?

The evidence in favour of AEB is unequivocal. A report released by Euro NCAP in 2015 found that Autonomous Braking systems were responsible for a 38 per cent reduction in real-world rear-end crashes. Despite these statistics – and the fact that vehicle manufacturers have made good progress in making the technology available – AEB is currently only standard fit on 17% of new cars currently on sale in the UK.

Anyone responsible for buuying a car for themselves, their family or their employees would be failing in their duty of care not to ask these questions.