A previous study was undertaken to estimate the benefits of Australia adopting the EEVC proposed frontal offset standard which specifies a dynamic crash test with a 40deg overlap into a deformable barrier at 56km/h. This report discusses a new study that set out to assess the benefit in reduced societal Harm if manufacturers met the regulation requirements at a higher 64km/h crash test speed. Using the same method as in the earlier study, a set of assumptions was developed to estimate likely injury reductions from compliance with the 64km/h test. These were then converted into likely annual Harm savings and Harm saved per vehicle. On the basis of the evidence presented here, the 64km/h crash test seems to provide considerable benefit to Australia in addition to that expected from ADR 73/00. The total benefit likely to accrue if all cars were to comply with the 64km/h crash test would be somewhere between A$404 million and A$520 million annually with 100% fleet compliance. The break-even cost per car across its lifetime would be on average somewhere between A$404 and A$651. The additional benefit above ADR 73/00 would be of the order of 24% to 36% in reduced Harm in frontal crashes. (Author/publisher)
Abstract