The Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa has released its first annual Entry Level Vehicle Safety Report that assesses the safety features on vehicles.
The report considered the safety features of 23 vehicles available in South Africa currently priced under R150 000.
In its annual report last year, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) recorded that 12,944 people died on South African roads in 2015. While efforts to reduce this number are ongoing, it comes against the backdrop of data from the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) that shows that the vehicle population in the country has steadily increased by two million vehicles between 2011 and 2016, with 11,897,737 vehicles (of all classes) on the country’s roads today.
These two figures – the high fatality rate, and the increase in the number of vehicles – again highlight the need to strive for safer driving for everybody. This includes increased road safety awareness initiatives, better policing and enforcement of road regulations, and a wholesale improvement in driver attitudes.
It also emphasises the need for improved safety features in the vehicles people drive.
The purpose of the research is to highlight the importance of safety features in new cars, understand how these features can save lives, and encourage new car buyers to consider safety in their decisions, and not only price.
“Too often people look only at the price tag, and “gimmick features” of a new car, and don’t put safety in their basket of requirements. But, many safety features are available, especially on newer models, which can make the difference between life and death. This is also important when considering that many people who are attracted to buying (or driving) entry level vehicles are often those with the least driving experience. It makes the availability of safety features critical to overall road safety,” the AA noted.
The 23 vehicles assessed were categorised into three groups based on their safety ratings; these identify cars with acceptable, moderate or poor safety.
In addition to the safety features, international safety ratings and price were used to establish a baseline score for each of the vehicles. The highest rating any car could achieve was 9.00 points on the AA’s Safety/Affordability index, based on all the considered elements.
Of the 23 cars assessed, four came out with acceptable safety ratings, while eight achieved moderate safety ratings. However, in this price range, 11 were rated as having poor safety features. A full list of the vehicles assessed, and their safety ratings, is available on www.aa.co.za.
