KEY FIGURES at Mercedes-Benz believe the Euro NCAP tests can have a negative effect on safety, as they’re not grounded in real-world crashes.
The Euro NCAP star rating system is the benchmark by which car safety is measured but Mercedes bosses believe it diverts attention from real-world safety, as manufacturers chase the five-star rating above all else.
In an interview with The Irish Timesduring the unveiling of its ESF 2009 safety concept car (see report), Dirk Ockel, senior manager of accident research at Mercedes-Benz, claimed much of the Euro NCAP testing criteria is inefficient, outmoded and can at times be an obstacle to improving impact protection.
Euro NCAP currently scores cars with a one- to five-star rating for adult-occupant protection, child-occupant protection, pedestrian protection and, recently, safety assistance features such as electronic stability control and seatbelt reminders, before awarding an overall rating. The data is gathered during a sequence of uniform tests in laboratory conditions which Mercedes claims have “almost no background in real-world accidents”.
The claim comes as Mercedes introduces safety technology that detects an imminent crash and instigates protective measures such as pre-tensioning seatbelts, closing windows and automatically applying brakes. None of these measures are considered in the current test.
As such, the maker – whose ESF safety concept car links this technology to features like inflatable side-impact protection bars and rear seatbelt airbags – has pleaded with the body to modernise its practices.
A delegation from Euro NCAP, Beyond Euro NCAP, has been formed. It seeks to take such systems into account and is working closely with the industry to change testing criteria.
“If you have a vehicle that does not receive five stars, you have a PR issue. . . A four-star vehicle can be excellent on the road, but you would have to sit with each and every customer explaining why,” said Ockel, whose team has a hotline to local police in Stuttgart, allowing unique access to the aftermath of any local accident involving a current Mercedes model. The data is collated and used to develop safety technology.