Independent crash tester, ANCAP, has launched its ‘Safer Vehicle Choices Save Lives’ campaign which claims older vehicles are less safe than newer ones…the bleeding obvious?
ANCAP HAS created a Sliding Doors-esque TV campaign around vehicle choices and how older vehicles are less safe than newer ones. Speaking on TV news programs and in general media you’d suspect this was the first time this thought had dawned on anyone. Hmmm.
In a statement to the media, ANCAP claims it’s conducted research that shows the age and relative safety of a vehicle is a likely contributor to an increase in an uptick in road collision deaths.
But, surely research isn’t necessary to determine this? After all, a vehicle from 15 years ago, and this depends on the cost of the vehicle at the time and the make, is unlikely to have been fitted with things like airbags, traction and stability controls, and autonomous emergency braking probably wasn’t even a glint in an engineer’s eye. And while some will tell you that an older car is stronger than one built today that’s absolute nonsense…the types of steel used today and the engineering in vehicles is far superior than it was 15 or more years ago.
But, on the whole, I agree with the message and that is that Australians should be encouraged to consider the safety credentials of the vehicle they’re purchasing, especially if it’s a second-hand vehicle.
Here’s how ANCAP describes its campaign, “The ‘Safer Vehicle Choices Save Lives’ campaign highlights the different crash outcomes between occupants of older vehicles and more modern vehicles. It depicts the parallel lives of two individuals – a younger female and a middle-aged male – their fate decided by the vehicle they choose to drive”.
“This is the first campaign of its kind, where the vehicle is profiled as being the life-saving factor in a crash,” said ANCAP Chief Executive, Mr James Goodwin.
“Many road safety campaigns have tended to focus on behavioural aspects such as speed, fatigue, drink driving and enforcement. They remain vital; however, this campaign highlights the importance of choosing a safer vehicle.”
“A mistake on the road – whether it be yours or someone else’s – can be fatal, so the campaign asks the community to consider how safe the vehicle is that they, or their family, are driving.”
