Euro NCAP has in partnership with Thatcham Research released updated safety ratings for 18 commercial vans.
The vans’ active’ crash avoidance systems were tested against tougher new protocols, with ratings varying from ‘gold’ through to ‘not recommended’.
Thatcham Research Chief Research Strategy Officer Matthew Avery said, “With 13.5% of the whole vehicle fleet comprising of vans, it’s important that van drivers and those sharing the roads with them are protected. This latest set of results demonstrates that manufacturers are responding positively and it’s of note that the UK’s most popular commercial van, the Ford Transit, secured a gold rating.
“However, the fitment of crash avoidance technology seen on vans has some way to go before gaining parity with the high levels of standard fitment we enjoy on cars today.”
Euro NCAP also announced that it will soon introduce a rating scheme for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).
Matthew added, “HGVs make up a very small percentage of the fleet (1.5%), but their contribution to Killed and Seriously Injured statistics is disproportionately high (15%), with 90% being external to the vehicle. The new rating will drive best practice with an urgent focus on HGVs not only matching, but exceeding, the performance levels of AEB on passenger vehicles. The rating will also assess and drive fitment of the full suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and will exceed new EU ‘General Safety Regulation 2’ requirements.”
