Vehicle Safety Ratings Estimated from Police-Reported Crash Data: 2025 Evaluation - Australian and New Zealand Crashes during 1987-2023.

<p dir="ltr">This study describes the calculation of updated ratings that measure the relative secondary safety of vehicles (prevention of severe injury to people involved in crashes) and relative primary safety (crash avoidance ability). Three different aspects of secondary safety are examined: crashworthiness which focuses on drivers of the rated vehicle; aggressivity which focuses on drivers of other vehicles and unprotected road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists colliding with the rated vehicle; and total secondary safety which examines the combined crashworthiness and aggressivity performance of the rated vehicle. The primary safety measure estimates the reduction in crash risk related to the fitment of various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to each vehicle. Updated ratings for 1982-2023 model vehicles were estimated based on data on crashes in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, New Zealand and South Australia during 1987-2023.</p><p dir="ltr">Crashworthiness rating (driver injury protection) estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 867 vehicle models classified into ten market groups. Aggressivity rating (collision partner injury protection) estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 777 vehicle models. The total secondary safety index estimates and their associated confidence limits were obtained for 947 vehicle models classified into ten market groups. Updated vehicle primary safety (crash avoidance) ratings were estimated reflecting the fitment of key proven crash avoidance technologies including electronic stability control, roll stability control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, daytime running lights and reversing sensors and cameras. An Overall Safety rating was calculated, which measures the combined primary and secondary safety performance of each vehicle. Ratings were presented for consumer information based on a method which classifies vehicles according to where each rating lies across equal quintiles of performance.</p><p dir="ltr">The relationship between vehicle crashworthiness and the year of manufacture of Australian passenger and light commercial vehicles manufactured from 1964 to 2023 was also investigated. Trends were examined by year of manufacture both for the fleet as a whole and by market group for vehicles manufactured from 1982 to 2023.</p><p dir="ltr">The results of this report are based on a number of assumptions and warrant a number of qualifications that should be noted.</p>