New-car safety rules set to get tougher in South Africa

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has welcomed proposed revisions to South Africa’s minimum safety standards for new passenger cars but is calling for the requirements to apply across all derivatives and specification levels.

The Draft Compulsory Specification, published in Government Gazette No 54970 on July 10, proposes tougher requirements for airbags, side-impact protection and electronic stability control (ESC). The public has two months from publication to submit comments.

The AA said the proposed airbag requirements are a step towards improving occupant protection, particularly in the entry-level vehicle market, where it says manufacturers and distributors have tended to fit the minimum number of safety features possible.

As part of its #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign, the AA is calling for side and curtain airbags to protect all occupants. If the minimum requirement is set at four airbags, it said curtain airbags should form part of the additional protection.

The proposed regulations require vehicles to have airbags intended to protect all occupants other than the driver.

The changes would bring South Africa closer to international markets where these safety features have been mandatory for years while improving local NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) safety ratings.

The AA also welcomed the proposed mandatory requirement for side-impact protection, an area it has campaigned for over several decades.

ESC is also included within the proposed safety requirements and the AA believes it should be made mandatory across all specification levels of newly introduced vehicles locally.

“ESC is a key component of vehicle safety and stability and has been widely recognised as an important technology in reducing the risk and severity of certain crashes,” said Bobby Ramagwede, CEO of the AA.

“The changes would bring South Africa closer to international markets where these safety features have been mandatory for years while improving local NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) safety ratings.”

The AA has been outspoken about the safety of cars sold in South Africa after several controversial low crash-test scores in the Global NCAP-Safer Cars for Africa campaign. Earlier this year, Ramagwede said car companies have a moral obligation to set minimum safety standards across all their vehicles. He called on car manufacturers to raise the safety of entry-level models without passing on the cost to consumers.

Ramagwede said while higher-end models often had sufficient safety features, entry-level examples usually have more basic safety.

The AA described the proposed amendments as the culmination of decades of campaigning for greater consumer safety and called for manufacturers and distributors to be held accountable for meeting the new requirements.

If the proposed standards are gazetted, manufacturers will have six months to ensure that all new cars introduced and sold in South Africa comply, regardless of specification level.