BEYOND NCAP: PROMOTING NEW ADVANCEMENTS IN SAFETY Michiel van Ratingen Aled Williams Euro NCAP Belgium Pierre Castaing UTAC France Anders Lie Swedish Transport Administration Sweden Bernie Frost Department for Transport United Kingdom Volker Sandner ADAC Germany Raimondo Sferco Ford Motor Company Germany Erwin Segers Honda Motor Europe Belgium Christoph Weimer Hyundai Motor Europe Germany On behalf of the Euro NCAP Beyond NCAP Group Paper Number 11-0075 ABSTRACT safety benefits of any new safety function to be determined. This process is based entirely on the Over the last decade Euro NCAP has become assessment of scientific evidence presented in a recognised as a reliable indicator of independent dossier by the car manufacturer. An independent consumer information with an acknowledged positive panel of experts reviews the extent of a safety issue effect on car safety. Most car manufacturers see the which a new safety system aims to address. positive advantages of ensuring their vehicles achieve Through a logical and rigorous analysis of the way the highest possible result in this consumer test in which the technology has been developed, tested program. For Euro NCAP to keep its relevance it is and validated, and from any real-world experience important that the program reflects the improvements that may exist, the system’s performance and its made in car safety over time. expected effectiveness can be estimated and eventually rewarded. Many of today’s technological advancements are in active safety, driver assistance or in the combination of In particular, any submission needs to provide primary secondary and tertiary safety. Many of these reliable evidence of the tests conducted and any safety functions are so new that no clear-cut procedures assumptions made in assigning possible benefits for exist to test and rate them. Given this challenge, a the new safety function. The method used for system that enables carmakers to receive added making these assessments also needs to be recognition for important innovations beyond the star scrutinized. The challenge is to understand with an rating could promote the development of superior safety acceptable level of confidence how reliable the data improvements and accelerate the introduction of new presented is without intimate knowledge and technology. Rewarding safety innovations will also involvement in the development of the technology. keep the carmakers’ commitment to Euro NCAP and This is addressed firstly by selecting independent help improve vehicle safety for the whole community. experts which are able to make judgments about the level of scientific proof provided and whether the The “Euro NCAP Advanced” reward is an addition to benefits claimed are realistic and achievable. today’s star rating. With the support of the automotive Secondly, the credibility of the source of the data is industry, Euro NCAP has developed a methodology, an important indicator of the reliability of the referred to as “Beyond NCAP”, to allow the potential findings. Thirdly, publication in the scientific Van Ratingen 1 literature increases the reliability of the findings, Because of this success, however, Euro NCAP is in although this may not always be possible at the time of serious danger of becoming obsolete unless it submission for reasons of commercial confidentiality. continues to lead this activity. With the advent of rapid technological advancement in both active and The recognition of the potential benefit of these new passive safety, it is especially necessary to ensure safety technologies in no way undermines the Euro NCAP’s assessment is further developed to importance of basic safety assessment expressed by the take account of the safety benefits of new star rating. For this it is important that Euro NCAP technologies. Knowledge about safety among continues to assess vehicle safety using existing test manufacturers and component suppliers has grown procedures and criteria. It is expected that the Beyond noticeably over the last decade or two, in part, NCAP process will help identify the best assessment because of the efforts of bodies such as Euro methods for upcoming technology. Euro NCAP intends NCAP. Many manufacturers are active in to implement these methods for an improved rating of conducting their own safety research but while it car safety in the future. would be expected that new innovative safety improvements would lead to increased scores in INTRODUCTION Euro NCAP ratings, this does not necessarily follow. Many of today’s safety improvements are in Euro NCAP has been markedly successful in helping to active safety and many of these features are not improve the crashworthiness of today’s passenger taken into account (and do not fit) with the Euro vehicles around the world. Despite increasingly NCAP’s current predominately crashworthiness test challenging requirements put in place since 2009 [1] approach. Moreover, a number of manufacturers many of today’s passenger cars achieve a 5-Star overall exceed today’s test criteria for which they receive rating. A recent comparison between Euro NCAP test little added benefit. It is clear that many of today’s results and real-world crash data [2] showed significant new vehicles offer safety levels well above those differences in injury risk between 2- and 5-star Adult prescribed by government regulations; that is, best Occupant Protection rated cars in Euro NCAP for risk practice today exceeds prescribed mandatory levels of fatality, confirming that car manufacturers have of safety. focused their safety performance on serious crash outcomes. A system therefore that would enable auto manufacturers to receive a recognised reward for The change in attitude by manufacturers towards Euro safety enhancements would seem to be a positive NCAP and the fact that their performance in Euro step forward in both developing superior safety NCAP tests is frequently used as part of their marketing improvements and the introduction of new safety strategies is further evidence that Euro NCAP tests are technology. This would also act to increase their taken seriously and deemed relevant. Over the years, commitment to Euro NCAP in the years ahead and interest by consumers across Europe has also grown, to work towards helping improve vehicle safety for indicated by the increasing number of visitors on the the whole community of consumers in the coming Euro NCAP website from across the European Union years. and beyond. Recently, some European countries have started to use star ratings to provide tax incentives for While Euro NCAP’s work continues to re-examine purchase and use of safe cars or have incorporated a the suitability, relevance and comprehensiveness of minimum star rating in their fleet buying policy. today’s tests and threshold values as described in the Roadmap [3], this paper focuses on how the Auto manufacturers’ critical response to Euro NCAP safety organisation is addressing the rapid has moderated considerably since it was introduced. introduction of new safety technologies, especially Today, most of them see the positive advantage of those aimed at preventing and mitigating crashes, ensuring their vehicles achieve high performance in a and supporting the driver or rescue services. NCAP test. It is vital that this continues to ensure Euro NCAP’s relevance in tomorrow’s safety arena. THE PRINCIPLES OF BEYOND NCAP It is clear that Euro NCAP has been successful for a Euro NCAP crashworthiness tests are based number of reasons. First, the community has grown to primarily on government regulation tests and injury accept star ratings, which are easy and accessible, as a criteria. In a number of cases, these test criteria are legitimate test of safety performance. As safety is now made more stringent to ensure a higher level of clearly a marketing tool by many manufacturers, it has safety ensues. The tests are developed by created competition between many of them in offering international research organisations with industry the “safest” vehicle on the market. Indeed, many of and are accepted because of their high scientific today’s manufacturers see safety as a core part of their validity. It is vital that any expansion of Euro brand image, which they would not like to lose. NCAP activities is based on robust scientific procedures and best practices which are open and Van Ratingen 2 transparent. This is critical for ensuring that Euro plausible evidence available for analysis. In other NCAP maintains its credibility among automotive and words: How do you judge what the potential safety parts manufacturers as well as the community in benefit is likely to be for any new safety general. It should also be transparent and subject to advancement and what reward does one assign to rigorous assessment to maintain Euro NCAP’s leading this innovative measure? Assigning safety benefits role in this area. without real world evidence of crash or injury savings is often fraught with difficulty. For it to be appealing and meaningful, the new reward Nevertheless, governments and manufacturers are system must have the capability of assigning added expected to make these assessments regularly when benefits to new and innovative initiatives and considering the introduction of new safety technologies that are rapidly being developed by countermeasures. In passive safety, the most manufacturers in their quest to build safer vehicles that common method is to conduct a series of crash tests are not currently encouraged. Moreover, it must also be and convert the results into injury mitigations via capable of fast progress to keep up in this dynamic injury assessment functions. Hence the assessment environment. It is also important that any new of the likely harm (deaths, injuries, and property development in Euro NCAP be sensitive to any damage) saved can be an effective means of potential misuse. Further, the process should act to expressing the safety benefit ahead of real world encourage manufacturers to apply highest test standards experience. to the safety system to ensure current safety improvement levels will continue.