The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) gives consumers consistent information on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in serious front and side crashes.
The program is supported by Australian and New Zealand automobile clubs, the State government road and transport authorities of Victoria (VicRoads), NSW, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia and the New Zealand Government.
A full listing of ANCAP results is available on the how safe is your car website.
Each vehicle model tested in ANCAP is subjected to an offset crash test into a barrier, a side impact test and a pedestrian impact test. The vehicles purchased for the test program are typical of those vehicles available to new car purchasers.
The offset frontal crash test simulates colliding with another vehicle. In this test, 40% of the test vehicle, on the driver’s side, initially makes contact with a crushable aluminium barrier at 64km/h.
The side impact test consists of running a 950kg trolley into the driver’s side of the test vehicle at 50km/h. The trolley has a crushable aluminium face to simulate the front of another vehicle.
The pole test consists of running the test vehicle sideways into a pole 250mm in diameter, lined up with the drivers head, at 29km/h. High seated 4WDs fitted with side or curtain head protecting airbags are subjected to this test. For other vehicles, the test is optional at the manufacturer’s cost if the vehicle performs well in the side impact test and is fitted with head protection side airbags.
This simulates a vehicle hitting a tree or pole side on. Vehicles fitted with side head or curtain airbags can provide more protection in this situation.
Eighteen percent of all road fatalities in Australia and New Zealand are pedestrians. The pedestrian impact test estimates injuries to pedestrians struck by a vehicle travelling at 40km/h. It consists of dummy components projected at the vehicle front and bonnet to evaluate injury risk for the knee, upper leg and head of an adult and child.
Recent evidence from international research organisations shows that Electronic Stability Control (ESC) can dramatically reduce the chances of being involved in certain types of crashes. ESC incorporates the functions of Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) and Traction contol to stabilise the vehicle. It does this by selectively applying the brakes to individual wheels and keeping it safely on track.
ESC senses when a driver is about to lose control by detecting differences between a vehicles’s course and the driver’s intended direction. By selectively applying the brakes to individual wheels, ESC helps the driver to maintain control of the vehicle and to steer safely. This can make the difference between a crash and a near-miss. Vehicles fitted with ESC are significantly less likely to be involved in crashes than those that are not.
There are many abbreviations for ESC. In Australia ESC is also known as:
- Electronic Stability Program (ESP) - Holden
- Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) - Ford
- Vehicle Stability/Swerve Control (VSC) – Toyota
- Active Stability Control (ASC) - Mitsubishi
ANCAP considers ESC to be so important that from 1 January 2008 no vehicle tested under its crash test program will be able to achieve a five star result unless it is fitted with ESC.