Locally owned and independent
November 23, 2023
The Northern Rivers Times
NEWS 19
Used Car Safety Ratings 2023 Enhanced data empowers consumers to make safer choices for all road users Australians can now access comprehensive information to find the safest used car following the release of the new-look Used Car Safety Ratings. The annual ratings are based on Monash University Accident Research Centre’s (MUARC) real-world statistical analysis of more than 9 million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes and 2.5 million injured road users in Australia and New Zealand between 1987-2021. In 2023, the ratings have been expanded to focus on not only how a vehicle protects the driver, but also its impact on other road users in a crash and its crash avoidance technology. The new “Overall Safety” star rating assigned to each vehicle model combines the scores for: • Driver Safety: How well the vehicle protects its driver from being killed or seriously injured in a crash • Other Road User Safety: How well the vehicle protects other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists from being killed or seriously injured in a crash • Crash Avoidance: The reduction in crash involvement risk resulting from the availability of proven crash avoidance technologies in the vehicle such as electronic stability control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, roll stability control and reversing cameras and sensors. This year, 518 vehicle models were rated out of five stars for Overall Safety in addition to Driver Safety, Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance, with 1-star being the worst for safety and 5-stars indicating the top 20 per cent of vehicles for relative safety
performance. This provides consumers with 106 vehicles allocated a 5-star Overall Safety rating. Eighty-seven of those vehicles also scored 5-stars for Driver Safety and at least 3-stars for Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance and were awarded ‘Safer Pick’ status. The 20 Safer Pick vehicles that received 5-stars in every category are (in alphabetical order): • Audi A4/S4/RS4/ AllRoad (MY 20082015) • Honda CR-V (MY 2017-2021) • Honda Odyssey (MY 2013-2021) • Jeep Cherokee (MY 2014-2021) • Kia Cerato (MY 2018-2021) • Land Rover Range Rover Sport (MY 2005-2013) • Mazda 3/Axela (MY 2013-2019) • Mazda 6/Atenza (MY 2012-2021) • Mazda CX-3 (MY 2015-2021) • Mazda CX-5 (MY 2017-2021) • Mazda CX-9 (MY 2016-2021) • Mitsubishi Outlander (MY 20122021) • Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (MY 2015-2021) • Mercedes Benz E-Class W212/C207/ A207 (MY 2009-2016) • Subaru Impreza/ XV (MY 2016-2021) • Toyota C-HR (MY 2016-2021) • Toyota Camry (MY 2017-2021) • Toyota Corolla (MY 2018-2021) • Toyota RAV4 (MY 2019-2021) • Volkswagen Tiguan (MY 20162021) For motorists on a budget, the Used Car Safety Ratings 2023 show the affordability of each car, to making a safer choice, with more than half the ‘Safer Pick’ vehicles available second hand for less than AU$10,000, and all but two available for less than AU$25,000. The Used Car
Safety Ratings 2023 also highlight the improvements in vehicle safety over the last 30 years. Most ‘Safer Pick’ vehicles have been manufactured since 2006, with data showing that on average, a vehicle manufactured in 2021 reduces the risk of road users being killed or seriously injured by 33 per cent compared to a vehicle manufactured in 2001. Additionally, newer vehicles provide reduced crash involvement risk through their range of crash avoidance technologies such as Lane Keep Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Electronic Stability Control, Roll Stability Control, and reversing cameras and sensors. Research lead and MUARC Director, Professor Stuart Newstead, said the enhanced scope of the ratings will empower consumers to make a safer choice. “Serious road trauma resulting from the worst-rated car is more than ten times that of the best rated car in the same crash with the same driver,” he said. “If we want to optimise the safety of the fleet, we have to be wary of not just how the vehicle protects you as the driver, but also the injury risk the vehicle poses to other road users. The change in focus of the Used Car Safety Ratings to consider the ‘Overall Safety’ rating reflecting serious trauma risk the vehicle poses to all road users is a significant step towards this holistic approach to road safety.” The Used Car Safety Ratings 2023 can be found by scanning the QR Code below.
THINK TWICE ABOUT ASBESTOS
It’s easy to forget that asbestos is still present in millions of Australian properties, but it’s a fact, that if a house was built or renovated before 1990, there’s a good chance it contains asbestos. “National Asbestos Awareness week (20 -26 Nov) is a good opportunity to remind everyone to ‘Think Twice About Asbestos’ when planning any renovations, repairs or other work on buildings that may contain asbestos” said Karen Rudkin, Project Coordinator at North East Waste. “Although many people know that asbestos cement sheeting was used for walls and roofs they often don’t realise that asbestos was used in thousands of other building products including vinyl floor tiles, adhesives, paints, textured coatings and insulation’ Ms Rudkin said. North East Waste and councils across the Northern Rivers are working together with the NSW Environmental Protection Authority to help reduce the risk of exposure to asbestos
by supporting the safe management and disposal of asbestos containing materials. To keep yourself and your family safe around asbestos, take these simple steps: 1. Get in the know – plan ahead before starting any renovations and find out where asbestos is likely to be in your home. 2. Take it slow – to avoid damaging or disturbing asbestos materials. 3. Get a pro - know your limits. Contact a licensed asbestos professional for advice on where it might be located, and on how to manage or remove it. As part of a regional scheme aimed at reducing the unsafe disturbance or removal of asbestos by home renovators, all Northern Rivers councils offer subsidised ‘Household
Asbestos Testing’ (HAT) kits. The kits include easy step-by-step instructions on how to take samples safely and send to a certified testing laboratory. The results are then emailed back to residents. If asbestos is identified and requires removal, residents are urged to use a licensed removal contractor https://www.safework. nsw.gov.au/hazards-a-z/ asbestos to remove and dispose of it safely. It is illegal to dispose of asbestos waste in any domestic or commercial bin and doing so can incur very heavy fines. Asbestos waste should always be disposed of at a landfill licensed to accept it - https:// www.newaste.org.au/ asbestos/#up. For further information about managing or disposing of household asbestos or obtaining a ‘Household Asbestos Testing (HAT) kit, contact your local council or visit https:// www.newaste.org.au/ asbestos For more information on asbestos safety, visit https://www.asbestos. nsw.gov.au
