TAC says cars built more than a decade ago are ‘death traps’

TWO-thirds of drivers and passengers killed on Victoria’s roads last year were in vehicles built more than a decade ago, Transport Accident Commission research has revealed.

Woman looking at broken cars motor Photo: istock

TWO-thirds of drivers and passengers killed on Victoria’s roads last year were in vehicles built more than a decade ago.

Transport Accident Commission research also reveals Victorians are twice as likely to be killed in an older car. The road safety authority says the average vehicle on the state’s roads is almost 10 years old.

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It equates to around 1.9 million “death-trap” vehicles that lack life-saving technology.

The safety push comes after the Australasian New Car ­Assessment Program urged the federal government to set targets to reduce the age of the nation’s vehicle fleet.

The TAC’s analysis, to be released today, shows 112 of the 167 drivers and passengers killed in Victoria last year were in vehicles built more than 10 years ago.

It was the highest proportion of deaths in ageing ­vehicles since the TAC began recording the data in 2002.

Transport Accident Commission road safety lead director Samantha Cockfield.

TAC road safety lead director Samantha Cockfield told the Herald Sun: “Our message to anyone buying a car — new or used — is to buy the safest car you can.

“We know older vehicles are less likely to have some of these safety technologies, meaning they pose a higher risk of being involved in a crash and provide less ­protection for drivers and ­passengers.’’

Of the 4.6 million registered vehicles in Victoria, 42 per cent are more than a decade old.

The TAC and RACV are urging motorists to choose cars with safety features such as electronic stability control, speed alerts, lane departure warnings and curtain airbags.