Thatcham Research, the independent automotive research centre, and voice of Euro NCAP in the UK, says that the Ford Mustang bucks the positive trend towards safer cars by not offering similar levels of safety in the UK as in the United States, and advises that there are safer choices as a result of the Two Star Euro NCAP rating it received today.“We have not given a Two Star Euro NCAP rating to any of the top 10 car brands since 2008”, comments Matthew Avery, Director of Research at Thatcham Research.“This really bucks the trend.Car buyers are increasingly benefitting from improved safety functionality and features, and this applies equally to cars in the sports roadster category as to family cars.We have concerns about the Ford Mustang’s crash protection of adults and children which also makes it unsuitable for having rear passengers.On top this, it does not have basic life-saving technology like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) that is available even on the Ford Fiesta, and the recently launched Ford Edge.“

What really concerns me,” continues Avery, “is that Ford has made a deliberate choice.The car has been designed to score well in less wide-ranging US consumer safety tests and only minor updates have been made to meet required European (pedestrian) safety regulations.This has resulted in poor adult and child protection scores and the high tech radar collision warning system that is available to US consumers, not being available here in the UK.The Two Star Euro NCAP rating is the consequence.” In the frontal offset test, the airbags of both the driver and passenger inflated insufficiently to properly restrain the occupants. In the full-width frontal test, a lack of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and load-limiters meant that the rear passenger slid under the seatbelt, implying higher risk at abdominal injuries in real life accidents. In the side impact crash, the head of the 10-year dummy contacted the interior trim bottoming out the curtain airbag.Ford say that a face-lifted Mustang will be available later this year with Pre-Collision Assist and Lane Keep Assist as standard.

Euro NCAP expects to test the safety of this updated model when it is available on the European market.Other sports roadster cars rated by Euro NCAP over the past few years include the Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mazda MX-5. woodcocks blyth curtainsIn contrast, the VOLVO S90 and V90 receive Five Star Euro NCAP ratings today as a result of their class leading safety.swish curtain track 350cmBoth cars follow the trend set with the XC90, with excellent occupant protection, and a full suite of AEB functionality that includes pedestrian and cyclist crash prevention technology as well as its unique AEB system that is capable of identifying large animals.the tortilla curtain bedeutung der namen

The S90 and V90 results surpass the best overall score of any model tested in 2016, with Euro NCAP’s top-3 best performing cars ever, all now being Volvos.“Despite being at a different price point to the Volvo XC90, the Volvo S90 and V90 have the same levels of safety as the XC90. hookless® waffle white bathroom window curtain pairIt does make you wonder if anything rubbed off on Ford from the VOLVO/Ford partnership,” concludes Avery.spiro curtains lined eyelet greenMORE than 182,000 killed and serious injuries have been saved on UK roads since revolutionary Euro NCAP car safety tests were launched 20 years ago. mercedes v220 curtainsIn 2015, 15,000 fewer car occupants were killed and seriously injured.

The tests, introduced in February 1997 and in the face of fierce motor industry opposition, exposed hidden dangers in top-selling family cars, forcing a fundamental rethink in the way vehicles were designed to prevent injuries and save lives.Twenty years on, 9 out of 10 cars sold on the European market hold a Euro NCAP rating.Today, as the results of a crash-test between two family cars built 20 years apart (a 1997 Rover 100 and a current Honda Jazz) underline major advances in vehicle safety, Thatcham Research, who conduct UK tests for Euro NCAP, estimates that advances driven by rigorous testing has helped deliver a 63 per cent reduction in car occupants killed and seriously injured, from 23,000 in 1997 to 8,500 in 2015.Over the same period the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured has fallen by 40 per cent, from 14,500 in 1997 to 8,500 in 2015.Demanding safety as standard Thatcham Research is marking the 20th anniversary by urging consumers to further boost Britain’s road safety record by making a commitment to buy only models with a five star Euro NCAP rating and a collision avoidance technology like AEB and

They also called on manufacturers to make AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) standard fitment, to prevent thousands of accidents.The call came as Thatcham Research, which conducts Euro NCAP tests in the UK, estimated that if AEB that can sense pedestrians and cyclists became standard on every new car sold in the UK, it would save 2,700 pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries every year.Over 20 years, this would mean 54,000 fewer.“As we mark 20 years at the forefront of road safety, we are very proud that Euro NCAP’s programme of safety tests has achieved major, life-saving improvements in cars and has helped Europe reach the lowest road fatality rate for any region in the world,” said Euro NCAP’s Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen.“Euro NCAP has given millions of consumers the knowledge and confidence to choose the safest cars possible. Recent years have shown a slowdown in the progress rate, however, so we mustn’t take our foot off the gas. We want to ensure that Europe’s roads get even safer in the next 20 years, not just for car occupants but for all participants in traffic.

We already test many more aspects of a car’s safety than we did when we started in 1997, and that is set to continue. Next year, we will test systems that recognise and avoid crashes with cyclists, and we’re lining up a very challenging roadmap for 2020 to 2025.”Consumer outcry, manufacturers under scrutinySince 1997 Euro NCAP has assessed 629 different car models, resulting in nine out of 10 cars now sold in Europe holding an official Euro NCAP rating. Safety technologies that were non-existent or optional at best - such as driver and passenger airbags, side curtain airbags, seatbelt reminders and electronic stability control – are now standard on most cars sold in Europe.Backed by the UK Government, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and the Swedish and Dutch Governments, the first Euro NCAP crash test results were revealed on February 4 1997. Until then car makers had to meet only basic legislative crash test requirements for new cars. They conducted their own crash tests but they were not standardised - and the results were not published.

It was impossible for consumers to compare the safety of one car with another.Euro NCAP’s programme turned these principles on their head. 1997 was the first time that realistic, like-for-like tests had been conducted by independent experts and the results sparked outrage from consumer groups, the public and the media.“Euro NCAP has fundamentally changed the way that vehicle buyers and vehicle manufacturers value safety,” said Peter Shaw, chief executive at Thatcham Research. “In 1997, many motorists were still choosing not to wear seatbelts. Only a few years later we were demanding airbags, side impact protection and other safety systems. You’re now twice as likely to walk away from a car cash compared with twenty years ago. These major changes in the way people and manufacturers prioritise safety are all thanks to Euro NCAP.“The focus now is all about crash prevention. Making sure that Britain’s roads continue to become even safer, not just for car occupants but for every road user.

We have come a long way since the days when manufacturers met only the most basic, mandatory, safety requirements but we must continue to apply pressure.”In the first test, of seven popular ‘super-mini’ sized cars, the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo each achieved three stars out of the then-maximum of four, based on protection levels offered to adult occupants.The top-selling Rover 100 (formerly the ‘Metro’) achieved only one star while the Fiat Punto, Nissan Micra, Vauxhall Corsa and Renault Clio achieved only two stars. When pedestrian protection was assessed, no vehicle scored more than two points, suggesting that manufacturers were not designing front ends with vulnerable road users in mind.Leading car manufacturers attacked the tests, claiming they were so severe that it was ‘impossible’ to achieve four stars. Five months later, however, Volvo’s S40 became the first four-star car for occupant protection. Manufacturers now compete to out-perform rivals in Euro NCAP tests - and regularly use the ratings in their advertisements.

Today, leading figures hailed the Euro NCAP tests as a major turning point in delivering safer cars. Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:“We are proud to have been a founding member of the Euro NCAP which has proved to be a major turning point in car safety since 1997. It has continually pushed manufacturers to build ever safer cars and helped ensure we have some of the safest roads in the world - the numbers killed or seriously injured over the last twenty years has halved.”Max Mosley, the first Chairman of Euro NCAP and Chairman of Global NCAP said: “Twenty years on from what started as a controversial programme, rejected by manufacturers, and supposedly aiming for unrealistic safety standards, Euro NCAP is now firmly part of the automotive mainstream. Thousands of fatalities have been prevented, consumer demand for safety is high, manufacturers compete on safety rating results, and vehicle safety standards continue to improve.”“The consumer awareness model deployed so effectively by Euro NCAP has not just fundamentally changed the European market, it has helped to catalyse other NCAPs across the world in middle and low income countries.

Consumer pressure informed by crash tests is helping to make rapid changes in levels of safety in India, Latin America and the ASEAN region. Euro NCAP has truly had a global impact, a proud road safety legacy that has saved countless lives.”Euro NCAP President, Andrew Miller: “The impact of these tests cannot be overstated. Until Euro NCAP, consumers only had the manufacturers’ word for it. Now we have the safest cars ever and the safety levels of each car are there for all to see. This success could only be achieved by actively working together in Europe under one umbrella and by continuing to invest in better safety.”Edmund King OBE, AA President: “To my mind, the achievements of Euro NCAP in terms of saving lives are up there with the milestone safety improvements brought about by the seat belt and the breathalyser. To some extent it was a greater achievement, as the lives saved via Euro NCAP were not the result of new regulations or legislation but the results of determined individuals and organisations who were willing to take on the industry.”