As smash repairers, we’ve seen just about everything that can happen to a vehicle in an accident. We also see the difference having a safe car makes to the outcome of an accident, and not just in terms of damage to the vehicle. The safety of your vehicle can mean the difference between avoiding an accident altogether, having a minor prang and having a serious crash, not to mention the potential for personal injury to you and your passengers.

But how can you tell what makes a safe car? Being a good driver isn’t enough to guarantee your safety, and most serious injuries and fatalities occur at crash speeds of 55km/hr or less, under normal driving conditions on suburban roads. Fortunately there is an independent body which assesses cars for safety, using those famous crash test dummies and simulated accident scenarios. The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) gives every car it assesses a star-rating out of five, based on the likelihood of serious injury or death in an accident. If you own a second-hand car, you can also check the Used Car Safety Rating (UCSR) program to see how your vehicle rates, based on statistics from police and accident reports.

If you’re thinking about buying a car, especially if it’s for a young or first-time driver, safety is the most important thing to consider! Let’s compare three common cars:

Proton Ute (any year): 1-star = Low protection, high risk of death or serious injury for driver and passengers in an accident. The risk of death is twice that of a 5-star rated car.

Nissan Micra (pre-2011): 3-stars = Moderate protection, moderate risk of serious injury or death, particularly for the driver.

Subaru Impreza (2005 on): 5 stars = High protection and survivability of all occupants, low risk of serious injury.

Unsurprisingly, ANCAP does not recommend buying any vehicle with less than 4 stars, so you might want to reconsider buying that Proton for your teenage son!

But can you do anything about safety yourself? Yes, of course. Safety is as much a matter of good maintenance and good driving as it is of good manufacture. You should always check:

Tyre pressure: The optimum tyre pressure for your car can be found on the tyre placard. It’s normally just inside the door, under the filler cap or in the glove box. Too much or too little pressure in your tyres will affect your car’s braking performance – and also your fuel efficiency!

Tyre tread: New tyres generally have about 8mm of tread depth, and are no longer roadworthy when the tread wears down to 1.6mm – so there’s no excuse for driving with bald tyres! You can measure tyre wear yourself with a tread depth gauge (available from service stations) or by looking at the tread wear indicators that are moulded into the grooves of every tyre – they look like little raised humps in the bottom of the groove and show the lowest safe tread depth.

Seat belts: It’s not just the law, it’s a really good idea! Even good drivers have accidents and wearing a seatbelt at all times is the best and easiest protection for everyone in the car.

Brakes: Being able to stop quickly and safely is one of the best ways of avoiding an accident, so having your brakes checked regularly is vital.

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