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Used-car safety ratings highlight crash risk

26 August 2009

Image courtesy Daegal Almond.

Drivers of 1990s-model cars be warned: you are 40 per cent more likely to die or suffer serious injury in a crash compared to your 2007-model driving peers.

This is one of the findings of the latest research into used-car safety, conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) with the support of the RACV, VicRoads, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and other road authorities and motoring clubs.

2009 Used Car Safety Ratings, released by MUARC, revealed significant safety gaps between the best and worst performing used cars. The report rates car models from 1992 through to 2007, and when it comes to the worst performers it is the pre-1995s that dominate.

"The increased risk [40 per cent] is significantly higher than people might perhaps expect," MUARC senior researcher Dr Stuart Newstead said.

The good news for cash-strapped owners of aged cars is that the results also show that there are vehicles with excellent or good safety ratings in every market group, Dr Newstead said.

Of 239 vehicles in the study, 118 were rated as excellent or good. While many Australian-made cars scored above average, Dr Newstead said it was the European and Japanese cars that were the most prominent best performers.

While conceding that age was a significant factor in a car's safety rating, RACV Chief Engineer (Vehicles) Michael Case said that there were "plenty of options for those on a tight budget when looking for a used car".

In the study, the largest of its kind in the world, MUARC researchers analysed data from 3.6 million vehicles and more than 740,000 injured road users involved in crashes in Australia and New Zealand.

The cars are assessed for their "crashworthiness" and "aggressivity" – that is, how safe they are for both driver/occupant and other road users.

For a full copy of the report visit the MUARC website.