Thatcham joins Euro NCAP in war on whiplash

Three cars – previously considered to offer five star protection for Adult Occupant Safety – have been shown to offer ‘poor’ protection in rear end accidents, new test results out today reveal (Wednesday November 26th).

And a total of 80 per cent of seats tested failed to offer proper protection!

Thatcham – the world renowned vehicle safety research centre – has been enlisted to do battle in the War on Whiplash by Euro NCAP and raise the bar in new vehicle design.

The tests devised and carried out on behalf of Euro NCAP at Thatcham’s insurer funded Berkshire facility are an evolution of Thatcham’s pioneering work in the field.

The Three popular vehicle models – rated as ‘five star’ for Adult Occupant Safety – yet found wanting in the new rear protection seat tests include The Citroen C5 and The Ford Kuga.

The other– The Peugeot 308 CC - scored zero in the series of tests.

Each of the seats were subject to three dynamic sled tests two at a low speed and one at a higher speed.

Some of the seats that received Euro NCAP’s worst results, with a ‘poor’ or ‘red’ score, provided limited protection at the lower test severity, but yielded excessively at the higher test severity leading to a zero score.

The results highlight the need for Euro NCAP’s impending realignment of the rule book to make car safety ratings even more focussed, transparent and understandable for consumers.

Thatcham Director and Euro NCAP Board Member Andrew Miller said: “These results show a real need for some manufacturers to take a long hard look at their seat design.

“The new series of tests do show some seats – previously thought to be adequate – are just not offering motorists and their passengers’ proper protection.”

This current batch of results will stand alone alongside current vehicle ratings but from February Euro NCAP will include rear protection seat test in its Adult Occupant Safety rating when a radical rating review kicks in.

Figures show that in 2007 more than 430,000 people claimed that they had suffered a whiplash injury, accounting for £1.9 billion in insurance payouts and a huge drain on the NHS.

The new testing procedures, devised by Thatcham in conjunction with Euro NCAP, expose many models from major manufacturers to be contributing to the problem.

Models that performed well in the tests were: Volvo XC60, Audi A4, Opel Insignia, Alfa Romeo Mito and the Volkswagon Golf VI.

Models that were rated ‘Poor’ included: The Suzuki Splash, The Daihatsu Terios, The Hyundai i10, and The Citroen Berlingo.