Airbags Slash Chance Of Injury, Research Finds
The Age
Wednesday July 23, 1997
Canberra
Car buyers should look for airbags instead of mag wheels or expensive sound systems, the federal Transport Minister, Mr John Sharp, said yesterday.
Mr Sharp said the latest research on small car safety showed that front seat passengers were at significant risk of head injuries without airbags.
"Head injuries are the major cause of serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes, and an airbag can reduce the risk of serious injury in a motor vehicle accident by 50 per cent."
The research showed the risk of head injury in small cars fell dramatically when airbags were installed. The least safe small cars without airbags were the Hyundai Excel, Nissan Micra, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Starlet and Hyundai Lantra.
The risk of head injury fell below 12 per cent with airbags in the same model cars.
Mr Sharp said more than 60 per cent of all the passenger cars sold in 1996 were fitted with at least one airbag. But when airbags were optional, less than 10 per cent of people spent the extra money.
The external relations manager for the Australian Automobile Association, Mr Mike Wilson, said when airbags were installed, Australia's small-car fleet was among the world's safest.
In the latest round of safety testing for 20 new cars, separate from the airbag study, only one car was considered good and four others acceptable.
The New Car Assessment Program found the Volkswagen Polo was good, while the Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota Starlet, Honda Civic and Ford Laser were acceptable.
The Starlet with no airbag, the Daihatsu Charade with or without an airbag, the Daewoo Cielo with no airbag and Nissan's Micra and Pulsar models with airbags received a marginal rating.
The cars considered the worst and given a poor rating were the Hyundai Lantra and Nissan Micra, both without airbags, and the Holden Barina, despite its twin airbags.
The Ford Laser also slipped from acceptable to poor when it was crashed without an airbag.
Officials from NCAP said the latest results showed that small car safety had improved since the last round of tests, but the risk of leg injuries remained a problem.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said that while it was not surprised safety standards of small cars had improved, safety comparisons could not be judged from one-off NCAP tests.
"Such improvements are the result of ongoing product development by vehicle manufacturers in association with the requirements of current and future Australian Design Rules."
© 1997 The Age