Across the world, awareness about electric mobility is increasing and so is the awareness of vehicle safety. With the advancing technology, carmakers are not just equipping their vehicles with the latest features but also safety features. So, it is safe to say that vehicles on the road are becoming safer with each passing of time.
But irrespective of the place the cars are made, most of them are tested at the crash test facility. The most common is the NCAP. But now as various regions have different NCAP bodies. This opens the gates to the question of which NCAP has the most strict crash test norms. So, before wasting further time, let’s try to answer the question.
What is NCAP?
NCAP, or the New Car Assessment Program, is a global initiative that originated in the United States under the auspices of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There are numerous NCAP programmes, including ASEAN, Euro, Global, Latin, and others. NCAP may receive funding from the government or from a separate nonprofit organisation, depending on the region.
For instance, GNCAP is a nonprofit organisation that was set up in 2011 to act as a link between the various NCAPs and whose main goal is to advance car crash testing and reporting in developing nations like our own.
On the other hand, The European program, Euro NCAP, was founded in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport and backed by several European governments, as well as by the European Union.
How NCAP works?
Each of the aforementioned NCAPs has its own unique crash-testing processes and techniques. Since the procedures were different, the results were also unique and could not be compared. Euro NCAP, for instance, performs side-impact, side pole, front offset, and full-frontal testing. On the other hand, the front offset crash test constitutes the sole test upon which the Global NCAP test ratings are based. In the frontal offset crash test, the vehicle is pushed against a deformable barrier at 64 kph with 40% overlap, simulating a collision between two similarly sized vehicles.
How the vehicles are rated?
Each car is rated on a 5-star scale, and as you may already be aware, the better the grade, the safer the vehicle. The rating is based on the results of the crash testing for both adult and child occupant protection. These ratings are based on the responses of the crash-test dummies, and some safety features may result in an increase in scores. The driver and passenger injury values from the four major body regions are taken into account when calculating the 17-point Adult Occupant Protection scores. These areas include:
- Neck and Head
- Chest
- Pelvis, femur, and knee
- Foot and a leg
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The readings from the 18-month-old and 3-year-old-sized dummies in the manufacturer-recommended child seats are taken into account in the 49-point Child Occupant Protection score. Additional points are awarded for the use of child safety seats, the availability of three-point seat belts, Isofix, and other features.
Comparing the NCAPs
Although non of the NCAP authorities can be compared as many have either different crash tests or marking schemes. Nevertheless, for convenience let’s have a look at if there is a difference.
The safety capabilities of new cars are thoroughly evaluated by both, the Euro NCAP and Global NCAP tests. However, the GNCAP ratings are only based on front offset crash testing, while the ENCAP tests include complete frontal, front offset, side impact, and side pole tests.
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While Euro NCAP just has one set of stars that incorporates its ratings, Latin NCAP has two sets of stars one for adults and one for children. Also, in comparison to Latin NCAP, Euro NCAP conducted more testing, such as the pedestrian protection test and the whiplash test. However, test by test and their results can be immediately compared. For instance, the 40% overlapped frontal impact test can be directly compared.
Hence it is still not feasible to compare the NCAP authorities. But these are some of the key highlights of the number of reach tests that are done in some of these NCAP facilities.
Also Read: How Cars Score Zero Star Ratings in Crash Tests?
Let us know in the comment section, what you think of the global NCAP and also whether should it be made mandatory.
