Mum and dad should give kids the new car
Crash test body says young deaths could be halvedAustralia's leading crash test authority has repeated its calls for mums and dads to hand their kids the keys to the newest car in the driveway.
The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) says that the road toll for novice drivers could be halved if families put their novice drivers in the newer vehicle while they drove the old clunker.
Research shows the average age of cars driven by novice drivers is 11 years -- when airbags and anti-lock brakes were still a luxury.
By comparison, most brand-new budget priced cars in the $15,000 price bracket now come with six airbags and stability control (which can prevent a skid in a corner).
"We're not suggesting every family can afford or should buy a new car for their kids. But parents should consider where possible the merits of giving their kids the newer car to drive while they drive the older vehicle with less safety features," the chairman of ANCAP, Lachlan McIntosh, told the Carsales Network.
"It is one of the cruel aspects of the road toll story that young drivers are often in the least safe cars. There is no doubt [older cars] are a contributing factor, not just their risk-taking behaviour."
The comments by ANCAP -- an independent body with no affiliation to car makers, which crash tests vehicles and then awards an appropriate star rating depending on the level of safety -- come after a Monash University study late last year found that the risk of death or serious injury in a car with a one-star rating was 2.5 times higher than in a car with a five star rating.
Figures from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that drivers aged 25 and under represent just 16 per cent of all licence holders and yet account for 25 per cent of fatalities.
"If all young kids were in the safest car possible -- which I know is a bit of a dream -- the total road toll would be down by 80 per cent and deaths of young drivers would be halved," McIntosh said.
Mr McIntosh said, therefore, the Cash for Clunkers scheme should be targeted towards safer vehicles, not just fuel-efficient models.
"Instead of cash for clunkers for some modest environmental benefits, why don't we have cash for clunkers for safer cars?"
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