Drivers in Western Australia buying a used vehicle are being urged to make safety the priority.
The Road Safety Commission said buying the right vehicle could save lives, prevent serious injury and reduce the risk of having a crash in the first place. Motorists are encouraged to make use of the 2023 Used Car Safety Rating Guide published by the Monash University Accident Research Centre when buying a new vehicle.
The free guide uses real-world statistics from across Australia to assign an ‘Overall Safety’ star rating to 518 used vehicles, with one star being the worst for safety performance and five stars indicating the top 20 per cent of vehicles.
The ratings are based on a combined score 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 model protects other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists from being killed or seriously injured in a crash.
- Crash Avoidance – the crash avoidance technologies available such as electronic stability control, emergency breaking and roll stability control.
Motorists looking to purchase a new or near-new vehicle not covered by the Used Car Safety Ratings can visit the ANCAP website for more information.
