New Car Assessment Programmes Worldwide Leaders In Reducing Road Trauma

The Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) the overarching vehicle safety advocacy body, today expressed its disappointment in recent media coverage across Australia which criticises the vital work undertaken by the national consumer information organisation, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

“The life-saving role of New Car Assessment Programs is well established in all world regions and a key contributor to the current UN Decade of Action for Road Safety” Global NCAP Secretary-General, David Ward, said today.

“Global NCAP is baffled by the recent negative comments made in the Australian media about ANCAP when, in fact, it has made a huge contribution to reducing road trauma at home in Australia and is also a strong partner with the other nine established NCAPs around the world.”

“ANCAP is a leader in vehicle safety advocacy and has been immensely successful in improving the safety of the Australasian fleet over the past two decades. Thanks to ANCAP and its simplicity of message, Australian consumers now consider safety as the primary factor when buying a new car. ANCAP through its affiliation with Global NCAP has also assisted the development of new NCAPs in South East Asia and Latin America.”

“Unfortunately today new cars are still being sold that are specified differently for different markets with key safety technologies sometimes missing. In unregulated emerging markets models are sold that would fail to meet even the minimum UN crash test standards. NCAP’s are on the frontline of improved vehicle safety and without them the huge improvements in car safety seen over the last thirty years would not have happened.

“Their crucial role in driving up safety standards in the interests of consumers across the world is widely recognised.” For example, in April last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a new resolution on road safety that calls on Member States to implement NCAPs in “all regions of the world in order to improve availability of consumer information about the safety performance of motor vehicles” .

For more information contact: Richard Woods, Global NCAP Campaigns & Communications Director email: r.woods@globalncap.org

Global NCAP is an independent UK registered charity serving as the global platform for NCAPs worldwide. Global NCAP has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), is a member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, and supports the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Global NCAP receives financial support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the FIA Foundation, International Consumer Testing and Research, and the Road Safety Fund.

[1] See Resolution 68/269. Improving global road safety http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/68/269&referer=http://www.un.org/en/ga/68/resolutions.shtml&Lang=E