This report reviews typical consumer information on car safety, both in European Union (EU) countries and elsewhere. It aims to identify best practice in car safety rating systems, and describes several systems now in use. There is a need for relevant independent information, to enable consumers to make well-informed decisions about safety, when buying a car. The two main approaches to rating car safety are: (1) retrospective systems, basing safety ratings on the actual performance of cars in road accidents; and (2) predictive methods, based on evaluating whole vehicle crash tests and/or testing and inspecting components which especially influence injury severity. The advantages and drawbacks of the different methods are discussed. The following recommendations are made about the EU's possible role in promoting best practice: (1) establish a new EU car crash safety programme, to decrease cost and increase the number of models tested; (2) develop a system for pooling EU accident data, to ensure quicker availability of new models' ratings; and (3) develop a system for continuous mutual input from rating systems and crash test results, to ensure including the latest information.
Abstract