Motor cars

If you’ve been paying any attention to automotive news this year, you will know about the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Numerous news outlets have been reporting on the case, which involves millions of cars the world over – both diesel and petrol – and has not only caused former CEO and chair of Audi Martin Winterkorn to step down, but the company to report a loss for the first time in years.

We’ll get to the specifics of the story in a moment, and why you should pay attention, but first let’s put the whole thing into perspective.

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For many Australians, car safety is one of the most important factors to research when buying a new car. With driverless vehicles taking to our local roads and questions of safety arising as a result, now is perhaps also a perfect time to consider what advanced systems are making the cars we pilot ourselves safer for the community.

This is especially crucial considering the recent news headlines made by popular Korean marque Hyundai.

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As part of the ongoing mission to reduce driver distraction and make New South Wales’ streets a safer place for all road users, Transport for NSW has launched a new campaign to focus attention on the dangers of mobile phone use behind the wheel.

Earlier this month Minister for Roads Duncan Gay announced the new ‘Don’t Drive Blind, Get Your Hand Off It’ ad campaign in an October 12 media release.

“The key message we’re spreading is that if you look away from the road to read or touch your phone, even for two seconds, you’re driving blind,” said Mr Gay.

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Road fatalities are a tragic occurrence for those involved, affecting drivers, passengers and their loved ones. There are a number of road safety strategies in place that aim to reduce the road toll across Australia, such as the independent ANCAP ratings to inform consumers on vehicle safety.

The Australian Government’s National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS) is another such effort. Inaugurated in 2011, it aims to see a decrease of at least 30 per cent in national road fatalities by 2020.

Now the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) is weighing in with a state-by-state progress report on the NRSS, to see whether the country as a whole is on track to achieve its goals within the timeframe of the decade-long strategy.

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Cars are a lot more capable than they were even a decade ago. This isn’t just referring to speed, handling and other elements of the driving experience, either. In recent years, the focus of car manufacturers around the world has been to develop a suite of safety features to better protect drivers and passengers.

Vehicle safety technology has moved past simply acting post-collision, as is the case with passive features such as airbags. Now, cars are coming equipped with sensory equipment that can detect oncoming hazards and act to prevent injury either independently or through assisting the driver.

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Safety technology in motor vehicles has evolved greatly since the first car came off the production line in 1908.

As new technology is developed we have seen the bar raised in terms of the safety standard for new cars.

This is monitored by independent auto watchdog organisations such as the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), which provides a star rating for cars based on the results of rigorous safety testing.

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Researchers at Monash University are carrying out an in-depth study to analyse what trauma to the body happens in a car crash.

The academics are looking at 390 different accidents to answer a crucial question – why do some people come out unscathed in a car crash, whilst others face serious injuries or even death? The study is titled Australian National Crash In-depth Study (ANCIS).

Their initial findings have presented chilling insights to the trauma faced by the human body in an accident.

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The University of NSW has launched a landmark research project in collaboration with several academic institutions and government agencies to determine the naturalistic driver behaviour of Australians.

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Animal collisions in Australia are on the rise and will peak in the period between June and August if last year’s insurance claims are anything to go by.

Insurance company AAMI says almost 19,000 claims for accidents with wayward wildlife were reported in 2014 and analysis shows the risk of such crashes increases by 30 per cent in winter months.

Drivers need to take extra care during the early morning and evening, according to AAMI spokesperson, Reuben Aitchison.

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