Beyond NCAP: promoting new advancements in safety

Over the last decade Euro New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has become recognised as a reliable indicator of independent consumer information with an acknowledged positive effect on car safety. Most car manufacturers see the positive advantages of ensuring their vehicles achieve the highest possible result in this consumer test program. For Euro NCAP to keep its relevance it is important that the program reflects the improvements made in car safety over time. Many of today’s technological advancements are in active safety, driver assistance or in the combination of primary secondary and tertiary safety. Many of these safety functions are so new that no clear-cut procedures exist to test and rate them. Given this challenge, a system that enables carmakers to receive added recognition for important innovations beyond the star rating could promote the development of superior safety improvements and accelerate the introduction of new technology. Rewarding safety innovations will also keep the carmakers’ commitment to Euro NCAP and help improve vehicle safety for the whole community. The “Euro NCAP Advanced” reward is an addition to today’s star rating. With the support of the automotive industry, Euro NCAP has developed a methodology, referred to as “Beyond NCAP”, to allow the potential safety benefits of any new safety function to be determined. This process is based entirely on the assessment of scientific evidence presented in a dossier by the car manufacturer. An independent panel of experts reviews the extent of a safety issue which a new safety system aims to address. Through a logical and rigorous analysis of the way in which the technology has been developed, tested and validated, and from any real-world experience that may exist, the system’s performance and its expected effectiveness can be estimated and eventually rewarded. In particular, any submission needs to provide reliable evidence of the tests conducted and any assumptions made in assigning possible benefits for the new safety function. The method used for making these assessments also needs to be scrutinized. The challenge is to understand with an acceptable level of confidence how reliable the data presented is without intimate knowledge and involvement in the development of the technology. This is addressed firstly by selecting independent experts which are able to make judgments about the level of scientific proof provided and whether the benefits claimed are realistic and achievable. Secondly, the credibility of the source of the data is an important indicator of the reliability of the findings. Thirdly, publication in the scientific literature increases the reliability of the findings, although this may not always be possible at the time of submission for reasons of commercial confidentiality. The recognition of the potential benefit of these new safety technologies in no way undermines the importance of basic safety assessment expressed by the star rating. For this it is important that Euro NCAP continues to assess vehicle safety using existing test procedures and criteria. It is expected that the Beyond NCAP process will help identify the best assessment methods for upcoming technology. Euro NCAP intends to implement these methods for an improved rating of car safety in the future.