Ask an expert

I am looking at upgrading my car and am finding it difficult to source information on safety ratings.

The website www.rightcar.govt.nz doesn't have ratings for all vehicles for example.

Is there anywhere else I can find this out, and why don't they have to list this on the sales card like they do the fuel economy?

Also is an all time 4-wheel drive car more or less fuel efficient (mostly open road driving) than a 2-wheel drive and are the maintenance costs much different?

Sorry loads of questions but I find salespeople often just tell you what they think you want to hear!

Eloise

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 20 January 2010

Official safety ratings are only made available in NZ where cars have been actually crash tested either in Australia or Europe.

The program in Australia (ANCAP) is supported by Australian and New Zealand Automobile clubs, the States government road and transport authorities of NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, the New Zealand Government, the Victorian TAC, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation and operated independently from the new car industry.

This means each car crash tested is taken direct from the showroom floor to ensure the vehicle tested is identical to what a member of the public would be buying. This protects ANCAP against claims of being influenced by a particular motor company and retains their independence.

As a result only selected cars are tested and is the reason why crash ratings for many older cars are not available. Used imports are not part of this programme either.

If an identical NZ new model is crash tested in Europe (ENCAP) then those results are added to the official safety rating web site which 'right car' is linked to.

In general the safest cars have the following safety features;

Airbags - Driver, passenger, side (deploy from the sides of the front seats to protect the hip area) and curtain (deploy from the roof to protect the head and neck). Some have airbags to protect the knee area as well.
Brakes - Anti Locking Brakes (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBS). Every new car has these features and have done so for a number of years now.
Stability Control - A device fitted to help stop the car losing control when the driver over-steers or under-steers the car entering a corner. This a very pro-active safety device that some manufactures only fit on some specific models or in some cases not at all. Sales people who sell cars without this feature will always offer reasons why it is not fitted if asked. In reality, it can be a life saving feature that should be high on the wish list if safety is the number one priority. Obviously the need for stability control is more important when doing lots of highway or open road driving.
Seat belts - Lap and diagonal belts in every seating position. Some manufacturers are still selling cars with a lap belt only in the centre rear seating position. Not a huge issue if the centre rear seat is never or seldom used but if it were to be used regularly, then a lap belt is not the ideal safety restraint.
Subaru is the only mainstream brand with All Wheel Drive and yes it has in the past meant an increase in fuel consumption. They have worked hard on this issue in recent times however and the models released in the last 6 months or so have consumption figures similar to competitor non 4WD vehicles.

Other mainstream manufactures tend to install passive 4WD systems. That is systems that only engage 4WD as required (when the main driving wheels slip or lose traction). This is done automatically without driver intervention.

Maintenance costs can be higher but not on a regular (every service) basis.

The AA considers newer cars are safer and, with air bags; seatbelt pre-tensioners; ABS & ESP, it is hard to argue that a new car won't reduce the chances of a crash and protect the occupants better if a crash occurs. However, intersections remain a major accident factor. Presumably drivers don't see vehicles approaching and therefore crash into them. Having finally retired my 1968 XJ12 from everyday use and replaced it with a much more modern vehicle I am discovering that it is vastly more difficult to see approaching vehicles because of the much thicker A pillar modern vehicles have. Undoubtedly the thicker pillar protects occupants better in a rollover but if it leads to more intersection accidents I can't help but think that it has been a backwards step. Certainly I find intersections much more stressful than I used to.

It is true that thicker pillars on modern cars can reduce visibility in some circumstances. But these incidences, like intersections, tend to be at lower speeds and so the safety risk is low. By contrast, improved rollover protection has markedly reduced fatalities for run-off road accidents where vehicles roll, so overall, the safety benefit of thicker pillars has outweighed any trade-off. Thicker pillars are also needed for side-curtain airbags, and these also vastly improve occupant safety. In addition, modern technology is overcoming the visibility issues of thicker pillars with blind spot cameras and proximity sensors.

Not sure I'd agree if someone pulled out in front of my bicycle or motorcycle & knocked me off that the safety risk is "low," or that blind spot cameras or proximity sensors would make any difference - they're more about what's behind you aren't they?

Of course I ride assuming I haven't been seen as much as possible but if I'm actually going to ride through intersections then there comes a point where I have to make the assumption that I've been seen.

Still, your answer is as I expected - we assume that rollover fatalities are a greater evil than intersection maimings. But isn't it true that intersection accidents have actually increased in recent years?

By "safety risk" I mean consequence, and the consequences of intersection accidents are less serious than rollovers even if intersection crashes are more common. Blind spot and proximity cameras can tell you whats going on 360 degrees around the car, and some cars even have infrared sensors to help identify pedestrians or cyclists who can't be clearly seen at night. The causes for intersection accidents are many and varied but theres a lot of evidence that drivers are running red lights, and also confusion around the give way rules with foreign drivers used to having a free left turn.