Vehicle safety under the microscope
RACT members Kate Lucas and Maggie Veness recently won an exclusive two-day trip to Sydney, gaining rare access to the NSW Crashlab.
This state-of-the-art facility is where ANCAP experts test vehicles to ensure they meet the highest safety standards. For Maggie, the experience was especially meaningful, as she lost her daughter in a car accident 30 years ago.
“My daughter Mandi died in a crash in the ’90s,” Maggie shares. “She was a passenger in the car and left behind a young son. Anything involving road safety is close to my heart because of her loss.”
On the day of their visit, Maggie and Kate witnessed a mobile progressive deformable barrier (MPDB) test on a Toyota Camry. ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg explained that this test involves a vehicle colliding head-on with a barrier at 50km/h, simulating a real-world frontal crash scenario to assess how well the car protects its occupants.
The crash was swift and jarring, leaving both women in awe. “It was very confronting,” Maggie says. “If the safety technology available now had been around 30 years ago, my daughter might have survived.”
Kate, a Hobart-based motorcyclist, reflects on how the crash reinforced the importance of road safety in her life. “Seeing what happens to a car in a crash makes you realise how critical safety features are,” she says. “The kids in the test car’s safety seats would have walked away without serious injury.”
Since 1993, ANCAP has tested thousands of vehicles, awarding safety ratings from zero to five stars based on their performance in a crash. RACT senior manager Rita Oakley stresses the importance of knowing your car’s safety rating, especially for young drivers. “Education is crucial,” she says. “There’s no substitute for seeing the impact of a crash firsthand.”
Carla recommends always checking ANCAP’s website for the latest safety ratings when choosing a car. “Look for the highest number of stars you can afford, with the most recent date stamp,” she advises.