Latin NCAP Makes Significant Progress In Chile
Latin NCAP’s crash test results published last week marked a turning point for the auto safety organization’s profile in Chile. With the support of the Chile Automobile Club and all the country’s TV channels, Latin NCAP’s results received blanket coverage in the country.
With double-digit growth in sales and little in the way of auto safety regulations, Chile is a key export market for many vehicle manufacturers. Road safety is a serious issue there as well. In 2010, around 1600 deaths were reported on the country’s roads , high for a country with a population of 17 million.
A lot of the TV coverage focused on the poor protection offered by the Chevrolet Spark, a best-selling model in Chile. In the 15 TV news reports in which Latin NCAP featured, media explained the need for basic safety equipment to consumers and the importance of checking safety ratings before buying.
Latin NCAP also stressed the need for Chile’s government to introduce the UN’s basic safety standards to ensure that protection for consumers improves without driving up the cost of new cars.
In the above video, Global NCAP and Latin NCAP’s Technical Director, Alejandro Furas is interviewed by CNN on the need for Chile to promote safer cars.
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