A new report commissioned by Global NCAP has revealed that 34,000 Brazilian lives could be saved and 350,000 serious injuries prevented by 2030, if UN vehicle safety regulations were adopted and car manufacturers sought to achieve higher ratings in the Latin NCAP crash test programme.
Published on the eve of the 2nd High Level Conference on Road Safety in Brazil, the independent study was conducted by the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL). The TRL’s findings closely align with the policy recommendations set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in their recent Global Status Report on Road Safety.
The new study concludes that Brazil “has started to introduce vehicle safety legislation and Latin NCAP is raising awareness about the importance of car safety and creating consumer based competition to motivate improvements”. However, “to help create an automotive market in Brazil that provides adequate levels of safety, further development of the minimum regulatory standards is required.”
Brazil has clearly made road safety a priority, and supporting much needed legislation will enable them to reach their road safety goals even faster. The report identifies clear regulatory priorities for Brazil including “the need to introduce a side impact crashworthiness test and to mandate for Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to be fitted to every new passenger car.”
The report also sets out a timetable for the adoption of these priorities which “are internationally proven to be cost effective countermeasures that save lives” and that there are clearly “established UN Regulations available to apply now.”
Side impacts are one of the most common collision types which result in car user fatalities and serious injuries. UN Regulation No. 95 on lateral collision protection defines a test procedure and performance requirements for a simulated impact of another car into the side of the tested vehicle at 50 km/h. The test procedure is well understood by the automotive industry and the engineering knowledge and technology is very mature and cost effective to apply.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) helps keep a vehicle on course in critical situations such as swerving to avoid an obstacle. It detects understeer or oversteer and counters it by applying the brakes to individual wheels. ESC reduces loss-of-control accidents, such as run-off-road collisions and rollovers, and is known as one of the most effective primary safety systems. It was first introduced on the market in 1995 and became mandatory in the EU in 2011 for new models and in 2014 for all cars.
David Ward, Global NCAP Secretary General said,
“Global NCAP strongly endorses the findings of this new report from the TRL. It identifies for the first time the hundreds of thousands of Brazilian deaths and serious injuries that could prevented if basic UN vehicle regulations were adopted and car manufacturers committed to performing well in Latin NCAP’s consumer crash tests.
“The report’s powerful findings reinforce the recommendations of Global NCAP’s policy road map to democratise car safety. The implementation of vehicle regulations is fundamental to achieving the ambitious UN target of halving road casualties by 2020.”
Richard Cuerden, Chief Scientist at the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory and the report’s author said,
“We need to establish a level playing field for vehicle safety across the globe. It’s not just Brazil. Currently only 40 countries apply the most important vehicle safety standards, but proven and established UN Regulations exist that could be easily and cost effectively applied today. Ultimately, the longer it takes to mandate these standards globally, the more people will die.
This research is only scratching the surface of what can be done to improve worldwide vehicle safety, both in emerging markets and industrialised regions. Our report also highlights a global need for better and more harmonized data on road traffic fatalities and injuries. By gathering accurate and representative data we can effectively evaluate countermeasures and prioritise prevention measures to help achieve the UN’s global road safety targets.”
Christian Friis Bach, UNECE Executive Secretary said,
“I urge the motor industry to ensure that well-established safety standards are applied to all vehicles sold worldwide. And I urge all UN member States to ratify and fully apply the UN technical regulations for the construction of vehicles and to join the World Forum for the harmonization of vehicle regulations hosted by UNECE. We must work together to improve vehicle safety.”
Nani Rodriguez, President Latin NCAP said,
“We welcome this new report and the recognition of Latin NCAP’s role as an important catalyst for safety improvements in the region. Over the last five years Latin NCAP has seen a very positive improvement in crash test performance from several global manufacturers. Unfortunately others, notably GM, are still producing cars for the Latin American market which would fail to pass UN crash tests and have a high risk of life threatening injuries in frontal impacts above 56 k/ph. This is entirely unacceptable, especially when the same manufacturer produces five star cars for the North American and European markets.”
Kelly Henning, Director of Public Health Programs, Bloomberg Philanthropy said,
“This important new report clearly identifies the life-saving road safety standards and technologies that should be adopted in Brazil and worldwide. Bloomberg Philanthropies provides funding for Latin NCAP to test vehicles each year and through our partnership, we’ve become convinced of the importance to apply vehicle standards in emerging markets. The Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety strongly supports Global NCAP’s policy timetable for spreading car safety standards and encourage all vehicle manufacturers to engage proactively with programs such as Latin NCAP, as well as urge governments to enact UN standards for vehicle safety.”
Saul Billingsley, Director General of the FIA Foundation, said,
“This impressive report from TRL shows that hundreds of thousands of deaths and serious injuries can be prevented by applying minimum UN crash test standards and encouraging consumer awareness through NCAP programmes. The FIA Foundation is proud to be a supporter of Latin NCAP which over the last five years has done so much to promote vehicle safety not just in Brazil but across Latin America”.
Dr Etienne Krug, Director, World Health Organisation said,
“Our recent Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015 called on governments around the world to apply the UN’s most important vehicle safety regulations. The findings of this new report from the TRL and Global NCAP demonstrates the huge gain in lives saved and injuries avoided that will come from safer vehicles in Brazil. This report shows why WHO is calling on governments around the world to legislate for improved vehicle safety to reduce the risk of injury from road traffic crashes.”
Nestor Roa, Transport Chief, Inter-American Development Bank said,
“The IADB has been supporting Latin NCAP precisely to encourage the availability of safer vehicles in the region. This study shows what a huge gain in road safety is possible through the combination of better vehicle regulations and consumer awareness. The report’s estimate that more than 380,000 deaths and serious injuries could be avoided in Brazil demonstrates not just the opportunity to prevent appalling human misery but also to reduce huge economic and social losses too.”
