RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Will Golsby, said a recent ANCAP survey showed nine in 10 new vehicle buyers believe ANCAP safety ratings should be displayed on all new cars.
“Unlike the energy consumption labels on white goods, there is currently no mandatory requirement to display vehicle safety ratings at the point of sale,” he said.
“You can see the energy rating when you buy a microwave but not always the safety rating when you buy a car. One heats your food; the other could save your life.
“RAC believes mandatory safety rating displays would be a significant and relatively low cost measure to help keep motorists safer.”
According to ANCAP, vehicle occupants have twice the chance of being killed or seriously injured in a 3 star safety rated car compared to a 5 star safety rated car.
In a June 2016 RAC magazine poll, 68 per cent of car owners did not know the safety rating of their car, reinforcing the important advocacy role of ANCAP.
The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs Committee into Aspects of Road Safety, to which RAC presented, released its interim report in May 2016 which recommended the Federal Government also:
- commit increased financial support to ANCAP over the forward estimates; and
- work with state and territory governments to ensure that the display of ANCAP safety ratings becomes mandatory at the point of sale.
RAC is calling on the State Government and the Opposition to commit to introducing the mandatory display of vehicle safety ratings at the point of sale.
So far this year, WA has tragically lost 171 people on our roads and, according to the Road Safety Commission, thousands more have received serious injuries. The impact of road trauma is devastating, and more needs to be done to reduce the road toll.
ANCAP encourages vehicle manufacturers to incorporate safety features into new car design and educates consumers to prioritise safety when they are purchasing a new car.
