The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are national standards for vehicle safety, anti-theft and emissions. The ADRs are generally performance based and cover issues such as occupant protection, structures, lighting, noise, engine exhaust emissions, braking and a range of miscellaneous items.
The current standards are administered by the Australian Government under the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989. The Act requires all road vehicles, whether they are newly manufactured in Australia or imported as new or second hand vehicles, to comply with the relevant ADRs at the time of manufacture and supply to the Australian market. When a vehicle is first used on Australian roads the relevant state or territory government's legislation generally requires that it continue to comply with the relevant ADRs as at the time of manufacture.
Australian New Car Safety Assessment Program (ANCAP)
The Australian New Car Safety Assessment Program (ANCAP) tests new vehicles under controlled laboratory conditions to determine how well they protect occupants.
The ANCAP five star rating gives consumers consistent information on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in serious front and side crashes. The higher the number of stars the car scores, the better it will protect you and your passengers in a crash.
The vehicles purchased for the test program are typical of those vehicles available to new car purchasers. Buying a safer car does not necessarily mean it will cost you more. Many reasonably priced makes and models score well in safety ratings and in some cases better than some of the more expensive models.
If you would like to read more about the ANCAP Crash Testing, or to check the rating of vehicles you are considering, phone (02) 6283 8156, email ancap@ancap.com.au or visit their website at www.ancap.com.au
Used Car Safety Ratings
In addition to the crash testing of new cars, there is also a complementary program with information about used cars which was developed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre.
The Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) uses information from over 3 million actual police-reported road crashes in Australia and New Zealand to rate cars according to their on-road crash performance and how well they protect drivers in a crash.
Ratings on combined protection to drivers and harm to other road users are calculated using an internationally reviewed method. The ratings are influenced by the vehicle mass, the structural design of the vehicle body, and the safety features in the vehicle. If you are in the market for a used car, these ratings are a vital guide in choosing the best model to help keep you and others safe on the road.
If you would like to read more about the UCSRs, you can access information on the RAA website (www.raa.com.au) or the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (www.infrastructure.gov.au).
Centre for Automotive Safety Research
The Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide is internationally recognised as a leading research organisation that conducts high quality independent research into road crashes.
CASR initially began as the Road Accident Research Unit (RARU) in 1973 when it undertook an in-depth study of road accidents in the Adelaide metropolitan area. RARU's research primarily concentrated on two areas: brain injury in fatally injured road users and drink driving and alcohol related crashes. Vehicle speed in fatal pedestrian accidents was also investigated.
CASR also co-authored the first paper in the world to show that car design played a major role in pedestrian protection, revealing that pedestrians are run under, not over, by the striking car.
The Centre is focused on:
- conducting multidisciplinary research to understand how road crashes and the resulting injuries are caused
- proposing and evaluating ways to prevent crashes and injuries
- providing independent professional advice on road safety matters to government and non-government organisations in Australia and overseas.
For more information about CASR's work, please visit www.casr.adelaide.edu.au.
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