- Title: Car crash test highlights gap in global safety standards
- Date: 28th October 2016
- Summary: RUCKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 27, 2016) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT PEOPLE INSPECTING CARS AFTER TEST CRASH PEOPLE INSPECTING 2015 MODEL PEOPLE INSPECTING 2016 MODEL INTERIOR VIEW OF DUMMY IN 2016 MODEL AFTER TEST CRASH (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICHARD CUERDEN, CHIEF SCIENTIST OF THE U.K. TRANSPORT RESEARCH LABORATORY, SAYING: "I think what the test has highlighted is the difference we see across the world and standards in some regions being substantially lower than we'd want or expect in certainly the U.S. and in Europe." VARIOUS OF 2015 MODEL AFTER TEST CRASH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) NANI RODRIGUEZ, PRESIDENT OF LATIN NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP), SAYING: "There are manufacturers that offer us vehicles at a low cost that are totally safe and they are same vehicles that one can find in developed countries. And yet, there are other manufacturers that do the opposite, that treat us like second-class citizens. I think we need to work to improve this, and I think all citizens need to demand safety." WIDE SHOT PEOPLE INSPECTING 2015 MODEL CONSUMER AUTO SAFETY ADVOCATE RALPH NADER SPEAKING WITH TEST CRASH ATTENDEES (SOUNDBITE) (English) RALPH NADER, CONSUMER AUTO SAFETY ADVOCATE, SAYING: "Why are they selling more dangerous cars, the same model or under a different name in Brazil, or Mexico or elsewhere? Because the can get away with it, because the regulations are non-existent or they're weak, for airbag installation, for example. And because they can get away with it, they inflict a double standard on innocent life in those third world countries." WIDE SHOT CAR CRASH TEST PAN SHOT 2016 MODEL TO 2015 MODEL AFTER CRASH TEST
- Embargoed: 12th November 2016 17:39
- Keywords: crash test NCAP car safety car Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Mexico Nissan Versa
- Location: RUCKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES
- City: RUCKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents
- Reuters ID: LVA00255X7PZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Global car safety organizations launched a car to car test crash in Ruckersville, Virginia, on Thursday (October 27) in a bid to highlight the gap in safety standards across different markets.
The 2016 Nissan Versa, sold in the United States, plunged into a 2015 Nissan Tsuru, sold in Mexico, with the former faring significantly better.
"There are manufacturers that offer us vehicles at low cost that are totally safe, the same vehicles that one can find in developed countries," said Nani Rodriguez, president of Latin NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). "And yet, there are other manufacturers that do the opposite, that treat us like second-class citizens."
U.S. consumer auto safety advocate, Ralph Nader, said more dangerous cars were being sold in developing countries simply because companies could "get away with it."
"Because the regulations are non-existent or they're weak, for airbag installation, for example," he explained.
The two baseline sedan models were crashed into each other with a 50 percent overlap and a combined closing speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which hosted the event, said.
The 2015 model is rated 'zero stars' by Latin NCAP, whereas the 2016 model is rated 'good' by the IIHS.
Global NCAP is currently engaged in a campaign to rid all zero star cars from the international market. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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