RA ENGINEERING NEWS | December 8–14, 2017 11
T
he Global New Car Assessment
Programme (NCAP), together with
the Automobile Association (AA)
of South Africa, recently launched the
#SaferCarsforAfrica initiative in Cape Town,
which produced the first independent crash test
assess ment of some of South Africa’s most
popular compact and small cars.
The models tested included the Volkswagen
(VW) Polo Vivo, the Datsun Go+, the Toyota
Etios, the Renault Sandero and the Chery QQ3,
which, combined, represent 65% of all new
cars sold in South Africa last year.
The crash test assessment rates the structural
integrity of tested vehicles, with vehicles rated
at between one and four stars in terms of both
adult and child occupant protection. The lowest
ratings indicate a high probability of life-
threatening injury in a road crash.
“The crash tests represent an important step
in road safety in South Africa. We believe
consumers have a right to know what the safety
ratings are on the cars they want to buy,” AA
South Africa CEO Collins Khumalo said at
the launch. He highlighted that the results were
critical to educating the public about vehicle
safety and empowering road users to make
informed decisions when buying a vehicle.
“In the same way emissions and green rat-
ings are displayed on vehicles, we think safety
ratings should also be displayed on vehicles,
and we don’t believe it should be too much of
a challenge to make it happen,” he said.
Khumalo pointed out that there were
11-million vehicles on South Africa’s roads,
with 14 000 people dying in car crashes each
year. “These statistics indicate a very real
problem on our roads that requires urgent
attention,” he said.
He further noted that about 832 000 car
crashes occurrred on South Africa’s roads
every year, with 202 000 of those accidents
leading to new insurance claims and a liability
of R188-billion in terms of claims.
“In 2016, the United Nations (UN) General
Assembly adopted a road safety resolution,
which recognised the important role NCAPs
play as a catalyst for improving vehicle
safety standards,” Global NCAP chairperson
Lauchlan McIntosh said at the launch.
He noted that the UN had sought to encour-
age the spread of NCAPs across various regions
and automotive markets globally and was
helping to achieve that goal with the launch
of the first-ever crashworthiness programmefor cars sold in Africa.
He pointed out that the Global NCAP had
pro vided assistance in launching similar
programmes in South America, India and
the Association of South-East Asian Nations
region, which had led to the delivery of safer
cars into those markets over the last five
years. “Working closely with our partners at
AA South Africa, our new campaign is an
important first milestone on the road to safer
cars for Africa.”
One of the vehicles tested, the Chery QQ3,
achieved a zero-star rating for its poor adult
occupant protection, as well as for its child
occupant protection.
The rating was due to poor vehicle readiness
to accommodate child seats, while no airbags
were provided for adult passengers.
“It’s extremely disappointing that there’s a
zero-star car. Such a poor result shows why it is
so important for countries like South Africa to
fully apply the UN’s crash test standards,” said
Global NCAP secretary-general David Ward.
He stated that consumers needed clear,
comparative crash test information to help
inform their car purchase decisions.
“This is why the Global NCAP supports the
introduction of mandatory crash test labelling
for all new cars sold in South Africa,” he said.
Ward, meanwhile, also lauded the fact that
there had been a four-star-rated car among
the vehicles tested.
The Toyota Etios achieved this rating for
adult occupant protection, with the vehicle
structure rated as stable. The car includes
seatbelts with pretensioners for both front
passengers. Further, using the child seats
recommended by Toyota, the Etios achieved a
three-star rating for child occupant protection.
The Renault Sandero, meanwhile, achieved
a three-star rating for adult occupant pro-
tec tion, with the vehicle structure rated as
stable. It, however, does not include seat belt
pretensioners. Using the child seats recom-
mended by Renault, the Sandero achieved a
four-star rating for child occupant protection.
The VW Polo Vivo also achieved a three-star
rating for adult occupant protection but does
not include seatbelt pretensioners. Using the
child seats recommended by VW, it achieved
a three-star rating for child protection.
Meanwhile, the Datsun GO+ achieved a
one-star rating for its poor adult occupant
pro tection, with the vehicle structure rated
as unstable.THE $294-million Kariba dam rehabilitation
project (KDRP) is progressing steadily,
with the plunge pool currently in the imple-
mentation phase and the spillway refur-
bishment works under procurement, the
Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) said recently.
The authority, which operates, maintains
and manages the Kariba dam on behalf of the
governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, hosted
its sixth technical joint mission of multiple
stakeholders directly involved in the imple-
mentation of the KDRP at Siavonga, Zambia,
in early November.
Speaking at the joint mission, ZRA CEO
Munyaradzi Munodawafa noted that the pro-
ject was still on track to be completed in 2025.
Site establishment for the plunge pool
reshaping, which includes the construction
of the site offices, accommodation and work-
shops, was well under way, with the con-
struction of the access road to the plunge pool
due to start soon, following agreement on the
proposed route of the road.AUTOMOTIVE CONSTRUCTION#SaferCarsforAfrica
Kariba dam works
on track
Popular small cars to undergo independent crash test assessmentsNEWS&INSIGHT
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