A new report released by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) is calling for minimum vehicle safety standards to be applied universally in all world markets, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The report, Democratising Car Safety: Road Map for Safer Cars 2020, highlights 10 recommendations which outline the need for all new cars sold around the world to meet basic safety standards for both crash protection and crash avoidance by 2020.
“When a consumer buys a new vehicle in the U.S., European Union, Australia or other developed country, they can expect a high level of safety, but that’s not the case in many emerging markets,” says Adrian Lund, president of IIHS. “Missing from many vehicles sold in developing countries are strong occupant compartments that won’t collapse in a crash and effective crumple zones to reduce the forces on occupants. Even frontal airbags for the driver and passenger — standard on U.S. vehicles since 1999 — are typically optional equipment.”
Lund adds, “Safety standards and crash test programs in the U.S. and Europe have saved tens of thousands of lives. People shouldn’t be excluded from buying safe cars because of where they live.”
