Safety ratings panned

That's the view of Monash University Accident Research Centre senior researcher Dr Stuart Newstead, and it's backed by the 2011 update to data from police-attended crashes around the country frm 1987 to 2009.

That data shows there is no such thing as a safe light car when it is in a collision with larger vehicles, with the top five light vehicles only rating three stars. That contrasts with five cars in the small car class, the Honda Civic, 2006-2009, Peugeot 307, 2001-2009, Volvo S40/V40, 1997-2004, 1999-2004 Volkswagen Golf/Bora and the Volkswagen Golf/Jetta from 2004-2009 all being judged "safe picks".

"ANCAP is a valid tool for comparing vehicles in the same class but it can't be used to assess the overall safety of a vehicle across the driving pool," Dr Newstead said yesterday.

The ANCAP new car safety ratings are based on a series of crashes into immovable objects to assess the car's crashworthiness in terms of protecting the occupants. The latest USCR results combines the real-world evaluation of that data with the overall safety for all those involved in the collision, be that a pedestrian, cyclist, or the occupants of another vehicle.

Cars that rate as "best picks" in the USCR charts scored five-stars in both categories.

"The benchmark is to make cars that are safe for all road users," Dr Newstead said. "Big heavy cars traditionally protect the occupants but not other road users and that is a model we need to move away from."

See your local Carsguide this weekend for a full list of the latest Used Car Safety Ratings.