The Conflict Between Fuel Prices, Environmental Concerns and Vehicle Secondary Safety: Insights from the Used Car Safety Ratings

Sharply increasing fuel prices and significantly heightened concerns about environmental impacts of vehicles have dramatically changed the profile of new vehicle sales in Australia over the past few years. Specifically, sales of light and small vehicles have grown rapidly whilst the medium and particularly the large vehicle segments have contracted sharply. In the face of this, sales of four wheel drive vehicles have remained strong, further polarising the vehicle fleet in terms of mass and size of vehicle. This study examined the potential road trauma impacts of these changes through reference to vehicle secondary safety performance by make and model, market group and year of manufacture measured as part of Monash University Accident Research Centre’s Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) program. Effects were examined in terms of occupant protection outcomes, collision partner outcomes and outcomes for all road users combined through consideration of the range of secondary safety measures estimated in the UCSRs. The study identified likely increases in overall road trauma as an outcome of the fleet changes and particular increases in trauma amongst the occupants of small and light vehicles. Potential for improving road trauma outcomes amongst those choosing small and light vehicles is discussed and examples of best practice performance amongst vehicles in these classes identified.