SA Car Buyers Taking Safety Seriously

Once we were a nation of speedsters, revelling in the age of cruising muscle cars, as we diced between the lights. But South Africans, according to some new research, are coming a little more responsible when it comes to picking their latest ride. Now it is all about air bags, ABS brakes, and will that pedestrian you run into have a better chance of survival.

The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) recently released their latest safety ratings. The number one safe car with a full five stars is the Suzuki Vitara. The safety ratings are determined by a series of tests that are designed and carried out by Euro NCAP. What is taken into consideration are safety features, related to driver and passenger survivability, and child occupant protection. The majority of South Africa’’s top selling motor vehicles for April fair well in the Euro NCAP. The VW Polo TSI Trendline, the top seller, also had five stars. Also with five stars is the second on the list the Toyota Auris XR HSD.

But some believe that car choice in South Africa, still has little to do with choosing safety features, and more to do with status. “South Africa is being dragged out kicking and screaming, out of the stone age, we're still in the 1960s cruising era of motor cars, where a car is an extension of someone,” said driving skills specialist, Rob Handfield-Jones.

Although one vehicle in the top ten, doesn't fit the profile of a muscle car and according to the Euro NCAP, has questionable safety features. The Datsun Go sits at ten on the list, and last year was given a zero star safety rating.

He did however believe that the younger generation of South African drivers are taking the safety features of cars more seriously. The Automobile Association said their focus on safety was more on trying to change South African driver behaviour and push for better law enforcement.

“When we are in a situation where we get those issues (driver behaviour) under control, then ... vehicle safety features become a priority,” said Handfield-Jones.

-Shaun Smillie/The Times