The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is encouraging prospective car buyers to consider the safety features in their new vehicles in an effort to address the troubled number of people dying in older vehicles.
The TAC has launched a new vehicle safety campaign aimed at educating Victorians on the lifesaving benefits of advanced active safety features in new and used cars.
Under the tagline ‘Find a safer car in your budget’, the campaign showcases widely available vehicle safety features that buyers should consider, including auto-emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist (LKA), blind spot monitoring, electronic stability control (ESC), and front, side, and curtain airbags.
It comes as new figures reveal 56 of the 92 driver and passenger deaths on Victorian roads this year have been in crashes involving a vehicle aged 10 years or older.
TAC said many older vehicles were without the lifesaving technologies found in more modern cars and research shows that if everyone drove the safest vehicle in its class then deaths and serious injuries would be reduced by up to a third.
Chief Executive of TAC, Joe Calafiore said newer vehicles with more active safety features could either reduce the impact of a crash or prevent a crash from happening altogether, and he encourages those in the market for a car to keep safety front of mind.
“Remember, a state-of-the-art sound system and leather seats won’t save your life in the event of a crash but having advanced safety features can truly be the difference between life and death,” Mr Calafiore said.
He said AEB had been estimated to reduce rear-end crashes resulting in fatal and serious injuries by 27 per cent, while LKA was estimated to reduce run-off-road and head-on crashes resulting in fatality or serious injury by 22 per cent.
TAC’s campaign also highlights how new and used vehicles at similar price points can have varying levels of safety technology included as standard, and encourages people to visit TAC’s How Safe Is Your Car website to search the safety rating of vehicles by budget or registration number.
“This new campaign enables car buyers to make educated decisions when purchasing a vehicle” Mr Calafiore said.
“By prioritising safety within their budget, Victorians can proactively protect themselves and others on the road,” he said.
“The TAC’s How Safe Is Your Car website provides essential safety information to buyers, ensuring they can make informed decisions that can keep themselves and others safe on the roads.”
The Chief Executive of TAC said the campaign, which will run until June 30 across radio, print, outdoor advertising and online, coincides with National Road Safety Week, which highlights the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it.
“Getting people into safer vehicles is a key priority of Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy, which sets ambitious targets to halve road deaths and significantly reduce serious injuries by 2030,” Mr Calafiore said.
Victoria’s Road Safety Strategy for 2021 to 2030 can be accessed at this PS News link and for the latest safety ratings of vehicles, TAC’s ‘How Safe is Your Car’ website can be accessed at this link.
