Since 1993 Australian NCAP has been crash testing vehicles and publishing results to provide new vehicle consumers, when making a purchasing decision, independent advice on occupant protection. During the life of the program there have been significant improvements in the occupant safety performance of some vehicles while other models have shown only small improvements.

This paper reviews the performance of those vehicles crash tested in the Australian NCAP (ANCAP), highlighting models that have shown significant improvements in performance. An analysis of crash test data, known changes to vehicle specitication and change in price for the vehicle, is undertaken to review the improvements in occupant protection offered and any associated increase in costs.

In 1997 Australian NCAP calculated an expected community benefit to cost ratio of 3.3 for improvements in occupant protection in passenger cars. This was based on assumptions contained in earlier work including an estimated increase in cost of $200 per vehicle for improvements in occupant protection and the expected reduction in social costs of crashes. This analysis is reviewed in light of the actual improvements in occupant protection in the new car fleet since the start of NCAP in Australia