In Addition To Collision Tests, Too Complicated Technology Can Lower Car Safety Ratings

The ANCAP safety assessment program will not only focus on the hit test. (Photo: Drive)

JAKARTA - The Australasia New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety assessment program will implement a new standard starting in 2026 with significant changes in how to assess the safety of a car.

In this latest scheme, aspects of driving experience and potential disruption to drivers are of major concern, not just the results of the hit test and the completeness of safety features, as reported by Drive, Thursday, November 27.

So far, ANCAP uses four assessment pillars that focus on protecting adult passengers, children, vulnerable road users, and safety assistance systems. Starting in 2026, the structure will be replaced by four new pillars, namely Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection, and Post Crash Safety.

This change is intended to make the assessment easier for consumers to understand and more relevant to the condition of daily driving. In the Safe Driving pillar, ANCAP will pay great attention to the potential for interference caused by technology in the cabin.

Systems that sound too often, aggressive warnings, or automatic intervention features that are considered to interfere with driver concentration can have a direct impact on decreasing the value of safety stars.

In addition, the trend of using the touch screen for almost all vehicle functions will also be in the spotlight. Basic controls such as air conditioning settings, audio systems, to hidden safety features in complicated menus are considered to have the potential to increase driver distraction.

In the future, vehicles with interfaces that are considered unfriendly to users are at risk of receiving penalties in an assessment. On the other hand, the pillars of Crash Avoidance and Crash Protection continue to focus on the vehicle's ability to prevent and deal with accidents.

This includes the effectiveness of technology such as emergency automatic braking, assistance to maintain lanes, to the strength of the body structure in protecting passengers and other road users during collisions. The new thing that gets special attention is Post Crash Safety.

In this category, ANCAP will assess the ease of evacuating passengers after the accident. Where, rescue access by emergency officers, as well as procedures for terminating the high voltage electricity system on electric vehicles so that further hazard risks can be minimized.

ANCAP Chief Executive Carla Hoorweg, emphasized that disruption to drivers is now the main focus in the new standard. He called attention to driver distraction one of the most important elements in the latest assessment system so that vehicles are not just technically safe, but also real safe when used on the road.

Through this update, ANCAP wants to encourage vehicle manufacturers to pay more attention to the balance between technological sophistication and user convenience. So that safety features really help, not become a new source of risk while driving.