The Road Safety Commission has released the 2021 guide to used car safety, providing ratings for 276 used vehicles manufactured from 2000 onwards.
Announcing the guide, Minister for Road Safety, Paul Papalia urged motorists to make safety a high priority when buying a second-hand vehicle.
“This list provides the safest vehicle choices through publication of a driver protection star rating based on Monash University’s statistical analysis of police-reported crashes for more than 8.8 million vehicles,” Mr Papalia said.
“Research conducted by the Monash University Accident Research Centre shows that a driver is eight times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in the worst scoring vehicle compared with the safest pick.”
He said the Used Car Safety Ratings Guide was particularly important this year because the new vehicle market had been heavily impacted by COVID-19-induced production delays, and many more people were turning to used vehicles.
“I urge people to check out the ratings to help make a safe decision on which car to buy,” the Minister said.
“Safety features such as airbags, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warnings are proven lifesavers on our roads,” he said.
Mr Papalia said the guide was developed by Monash University’s Vehicle Safety Research Group with support from WA’s Road Safety Commission.
The Commission’s 16-page Used Car Safety Ratings Guide can be accessed at this PS News link.
