ANCAP will add new and updated tests and assessments to its star rating system from January 2023. According to ANCAP, the changes form part of its regime enhancements which encourage safety improvements every few years. The previous change in criteria took effect from January 2020.
“Our 2023 requirements build upon our existing criteria to promote further vehicle safety improvements and address some of the ongoing challenges on our roads,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg.
ANCAP’s expanded 2023 test and assessment criteria will include new areas such as the ability of a vehicle to avoid a crash with a motorcyclist, child presence detection, and vehicle submergence.
Several existing assessment areas will also be enhanced, including:
- A heighted focus on vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility, introducing a potential eight-point penalty compared with the current four-point penalty
- A 10 per cent increase to the star rating thresholds for vulnerable road user protection
- The assessment of direct driver monitoring systems to manage driver inattention and fatigue
- An expansion of autonomous emergency braking test scenarios to include additional night-time tests and child pedestrian avoidance tests when a vehicle is in reverse
“Vehicles and the safety technologies within them are continuing to evolve, and our test criteria are too,” Hoorweg said.
According to ANCAP, the requirements set for each star rating level are designed to encourage the development of vehicles that provide a good balance of passive safety (how well a vehicle protects occupants in a crash) and active safety (the ability of a vehicle to prevent or minimise the outcomes of a crash through active collision avoidance systems).
“Physical protection in a crash, and the ability to actively avoid a crash, are both essential elements to achieve a high ANCAP safety rating, and this approach will continue from 2023,” Hoorweg said.