The 4motion versions of the new dual-cab Volkswagen Amarok have been awarded a 5 star safety rating by local authority ANCAP. Scoring 32.99 points from a maximum total of 37 the Amarok is the first ute in its class to earn a 5 star rating.
You can read the short press statement from Volkswagen Australia after the break. Or, for more detail, read the full report which is available on the ANCAP website.
First filed 16 December 2010.
A short while ago Driver Dynamics approached AUSmotive to support of their Summer Safe Driving Courses. Because we believe in the benefits of good driver education we were happy to help out. The following text has been supplied by Driver Dynamics and if you think you or a member of your family would benefit from such training we urge you to make a booking.
Despite the advances in automotive safety technology and road quality, vehicle accidents continue to be the number one killer of Australians aged under 25. While many factors can contribute to an individual incident, one thing keeps being brought up—are our young drivers being adequately trained?
Driver Dynamics, Victoria’s most experienced driver training school, believes there is certainly room for improvement and has launched a massive state-wide training campaign to help young drivers learn some basic skills that may potentially save their lives!
The Summer Safe Driving Program runs from December to March (the typically highest accident risk time of the year due to the number of people on the roads), and essentially brings affordable driver training to within reach of nearly every Victorian driver. Courses of this type normally cost up to $300, but for the program the cost has been reduced to just $99 per driver.
Here in Australia we’ve had some pretty confronting advertising campaigns to tackle the issue of road safety. This is especially in regards to targeting the young male audience, where graphic accident recreations are usually the norm. In fact, last year marked 20 years since the Victorian Government’s Transport Accident Commission began its crusade.
Young males generally don’t like being told what to do and conventional advertising methods don’t always have the effect the creators are chasing. Over in New Zealand they have taken a different approach, with thanks to some excellent creative from Ogilvy. You can see the results after the break.
Warning: Offensive language is used in the video.
[Thanks to Michael for the tip]
The Audi A1 is the latest car to be awarded a 5-star safety rating by testing authority Euro NCAP. The A1 scored 90% for adult occupants, 86% for safety assist, 79% for child occupants and 49% for pedestrian safety. You can read the full report on the Euro NCAP website. Meanwhile video footage and Audi’s press release are all your after the break.
The love it or hate it MINI Countryman now has one less reason to hate it. It’s performance at the latest round of Euro NCAP testing saw the not-so-MINI awarded a 5-star crash rating. The Countryman scored 84% for the Adult Occupant category, 83% for Child Occupant, 63% for Pedestrian and 71% for Safety Assist.
Interestingly the model tested was a right-hand drive Countryman Diesel, so these results are directly relevant to the Australian market. Most cars tested by Euro NCAP are left-hand drive.
You can read the full Euro NCAP report HERE. After the break you can watch video footage of the Countryman’s test, as well as reading the press release from MINI PR.
[Pic: Euro NCAP]
Jeff Kennett, former Victorian Premier and Chairman of beyondblue, has put himself in some very hot water today by recommending Kool Mints to drink drivers as a means to defeat Police breathalyzers.
Speaking to Neil Mitchell on Melbourne station 3AW Kennett said, “If you have had a couple of drinks and you want to absorb the alcohol quickly Kool Mints will do it.” Digging himself into a deeper hole Kennett proclaimed, “I would very rarely drink and drive, but if I’ve had anything at all to drink I will reach into my little pocket and have some Kool Mints.”
Unsurprisingly “Bloody Jeff” has attracted criticism from all angles. There’s not a lot more to say, to be honest. You can watch footage of the interview after the break.
[Thanks to Tim for the tip]
AUSmotive recently discovered that the Marulan Driver Training Centre provides a first class facility for road users of various needs and experience. Unfortunately, MDTC is under threat of forced closure due to noise complaints.
On the day I attended MDTC all participants were asked to be mindful of surrounding properties and, anecdotally at least, I can say the noise from our group was kept to an absolute minimum. Keep in mind all cars in attendance were road registered vehicles in compliance with the required noise standards.
So, what can you do to help? The Marulan Region Portal is currently running a poll to gauge support or otherwise for the Marulan Driver Training Centre. If you have used the facilities at MDTC and found them to be worthwhile, or if you generally support the facility, please take the time to vote in the poll, which can be found at the bottom of the homepage.
As well as “Drive your street car” days Garry Wilmington and his staff offer numerous driver training programs aimed at improving road skills of inexperienced road users. The skills taught are not just about car control, but also take in driver attitude and hazard perception techniques.
MDTC plays an important role in driver education and it would be a real shame if it was forced to close down. Please do what you can to help and spread word of this poll.
Sometimes the simplest ideas make the most effective statements. This is especially the case with the Embrace Life road safety commercial, launched as part of the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in the UK.
The ad first aired in January this year and has since received over 9 million views on YouTube. More recently the ad was shown last night on ABC television program The Gruen Transfer. Background information about the production of the ad is available on the Alexander Commercials website.
Writer and director Dan Cox explains his thought process, “I wanted to create a visual metaphor addressing how a single decision in a person’s day can greatly influence both their own and their loved ones’ lives. Choosing to film the story inside the family living room represents the feelings many people equate with their own car, in that it represents a level of safety and protection from the ‘outer’ world. So to create the emotion of this dramatic moment, I wanted to tell the story using slow motion to allow the audience the time to be drawn into the film’s world and to let them connect with and project their own feelings onto the scenario playing out before them. I wanted to give the audience the time to breathe, to absorb our message and using slow motion was the right technique to allow this to happen.”
You can see the commercial below—it’s a poignant safety reminder that delivers its message with a positive message, rather than demonising the audience.
For me, the strong emotional pull of the ad made me consider other aspects of road safety and driver attitude. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well.
One of Australia’s most successful racing drivers, Mark Skaife, recently put his reputation on the line to promote his views on improving driver behaviour. He aired his thoughts a couple of weekends ago on Channel 7’s quasi-tabloid television program Sunday Night.
Skaife’s three main steps to safer roads include accredited driver training, in a bid to prevent parents from teaching their kids bad habits; improved road infrastructure, as well as more consistent road signage; and government incentives to encourage the purchase of newer and safer cars for young drivers.
This is a massive issue and one that can’t be satisfactorily resolved on this humble blog. Some of Skaife’s views have genuine merit, while some are a little ill-considered. For example, while an increase in freeway speed limits might be worth considering if certain measures are in place first, Skaife should have known that mentioning anything with 140km/h in it would send self-righteous critics into an absolute tail spin.
After all, we live in a country where an international advertising campaign from BMW featuring a car sliding around at low speeds in a closed warehouse was banned for fears it would encourage hoon behaviour. At the same time, so long as you’re advertising flavoured milk, it’s deemed okay to speed down a country road in your ute while your girlie is hanging out of the window and your mate jumps on to a truck.
Anyway, you can watch Skaife’s original piece after the break. And, if you can bear the sight of Mike Munro, there is also a follow up interview featuring Skaife and current member of the National Road Safety Council, Wayne Gardner.
The cute Alfa Romeo Giulietta has recently been awarded a 5 star crash rating by Euro NCAP. With an overall score of 87 points from a maximum of 100 the Giulietta ranks as the safest car in the compact class.
In 2009 Euro NCAP raised the bar on what is required to achieve a 5 star rating and the testing is still on a upward sliding scale. By 2012 the testing regime will have reached its toughest measure. The good news for Alfa is the Giulietta just tested has achieved a high enough score that will ensure its maximum rating will still be achieved.
Crash testing rates four main criteria: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist. In those categories the Giulietta scored an almost perfect 97% for Adult Occupant protection and a very high 85% for Child Occupant safety. Pedestrian Protection was rated at 63% and a score of 86% for Safety Assist shows the car’s on board electronic safety systems are very effective.
More from Alfa Romeo and Euro NCAP after the break.
In 2009 , for the first time, the EuroNCAP authority collated its test results from a single year and announced its safest cars of the calendar year. With a total of 103 points the Golf VI topped last year’s list, which also included an impressive 97% score for Adult Occupant protection.
When the Golf VI was first released in 2008 it was granted a five-star rating. However, in 2009 EuroNCAP introduced stricter testing procedures and the Golf VI, along with 32 other cars, were tested in 2009 under the revised program.
The Golf finished ahead of the Honda Insight in the 2009 rankings. Third on the table was the new Toyota Prius, followed by the Hyundai i20, before a triumvirate of equally rated cars—Toyota Avensis, Volvo XC60 and Opel/Vauxhall Astra.
Official EuroNCAP footage of the Golf’s earlier 2008 test can be seen after the jump, reminding you just how ugly a vehicle crash in motion actually looks.
Just before Christmas Audi knocked out a release saying their new A8 would soon feature Google Earth integration with its MMI navigation system. While that sounds kinda cool, a static image didn’t really cut the mustard. However, since then a video has been released along with a press statement from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in the UK criticising new advances to in-dash navigation systems.
The video of the Google features can be seen after the jump, along with a neat demo of the finger pad that allows you to write letter shapes to assist Audi’s MMI functionality.
Access to the Google Earth feature set is currently gained by GPRS/EDGE mobile technology, so expect it to be a bit slow and clunky at times. However, Audi has plans to release an updated system mid-year which will use a new UMTS modem to help improve data transfer. The nifty aspect of synching with Google is the ability for users to plan a journey at their desktop and then pickup the saved route once in the car. As you can imagine such connectivity opens up a whole range of new and exciting concepts for in-car navigation and “infotainmentâ€.
And here’s where the IAM guys are starting to get worried. Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner, reckons the results of such functionality and the potential to distract drivers “could be deadlyâ€. He goes on to say, “If it’s not acceptable to read a novel while driving, how can it be acceptable to read a multimedia display? Just how much information can a car driver absorb and still drive responsibly?â€