MOTORING
CASUALTIES TO FALL
K
A
ustralia’s leading car safety assessment group has predicted there will be fewer casualties on the nation’s roads in the next five years. According to ANCAP, around 40 per cent of annual kilometres travelled in Australia this year will be in five star cars. By 2020, it is predicted that this will increase to nearly 70 per cent. This equates to one third less Australians being killed or seriously injured on roads, ANCAP reports. The societal cost savings are estimated to be more than $2 billion per year. These key findings were presented by ANCAP at the 24th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) recently. Due to the uptake of five star cars across the Australian fleet, ANCAP predicts a one-third reduction compared with 2001, when there were no five star rated cars on our roads. ANCAP chief executive officer Nicholas Clarke says as a result of safe cars injury rates have been halved compared to 15 years ago. “ANCAP has been instrumental in increasing car safety and this will only increase as ANCAP continues to raise the bar through increasing requirements.’’ The paper evaluated the uptake of key safety features such as curtain airbags, electronic stability
control and intelligent seat belt reminders between 2001 and 2014. “Every dollar invested in ANCAP translates to a saving of several hundreds of dollars in societal crash costs,’’ Clarke says. “We can expect to see similar savings across other world regions in which non-regulatory NCAP programs exist.’’ The report is one of four published by ANCAP at the ESV conference. ESV is an international forum organised by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which provides the opportunity to share innovative advances in motor vehicle safety and encourage international cooperation. It is attended by governments, automobile manufacturers, suppliers, safety researchers and professionals, medical, insurance, legal and policy professionals, and consumers from across the globe.
ZERO HERO
ia Motors has picked up further international recognition for its Soul EV, with the latest accolade arriving from France via the prestigious Prix Auto Environnement MAAF 2015 awards. The Soul EV, the company’s first 100 electric urban crossover, won the Alternative Energy City Car category. Established in 2005, the awards honour innovation and technology that promotes sustainable mobility, with a jury composed of journalists from automotive and environmental sectors. Kia Motors Soon-Nam Lee welcomed the award. “This latest accolade for the Soul EV brings further recognition for our ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through zero emissions motoring,’’ he says. “The car also looks great and is fun to drive – we hope this winning combination will attract more customers to Kia.” The Soul EV is a battery electric vehicle featuring a high-capacity 192-cell 27 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, the Soul EV can drive 212 km on a single charge. It has been awarded a number of global honours.
Now at Mercedes-Benz Sunshine Coast.
2014 B 180 Black With Black Interior, Becker® MAP PILOT Navigation, Bluetooth®, 9,576km. UN12883 $38,990 Drive Away
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44 My Weekly Preview | June 19, 2015
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16/06/2015 2:41:57 PM