Hannah Higgins
(Australian Associated Press)
Two used utes had a head-on collision – one driver walked away unhurt while the other’s head smashed into the steering wheel, with the impact likely killing them.
Luckily though, it was only a test.
Similar in make, price and age there was a key difference between the two vehicles – their safety rating.
The NSW government is asking the public to consider safety ratings whenever they buy a second hand car.
Roads Minister Melinda Pavey says new data shows cheaper cars aren’t necessarily less safe.
The latest used car safety ratings were released on Wednesday after an analysis of records from more than eight million real crashes in Australia and New Zealand.
The ratings indicate how well each vehicle protected drivers from death or serious injury with five stars awarded to the best performers – the cheapest of which costs about $2500.
“Invest that time, invest that energy in having a look at a car that might be second hand, it’s not going to take you more than 10 minutes to compare and contrast,” Ms Pavey told reporters in Sydney.
“With this information, we can show which cars are safe and which cars are not going to break your bank balance.”
Ms Pavey said the decision could mean the difference between life and death.
“It’s not just about being killed in car crashes, the serious injuries that can be caused can dramatically change the life of a family … you can buy a cheap car but not be cheap on safety.”
Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash
