Euro NCAP awarded for continuous evolution of its vehicle rating roadmap

Last week at their 20th anniversary event, Euro NCAP was presented with the prestigious Innovation Award from safety watchdog Global NCAP in recognition of the continuous evolution of its vehicle rating roadmap. Individual Global NCAP awards were also received by former Euro NCAP chairmen Max Mosley and Claes Tingvall, for Lifetime Achievement and Consumer Champion, respectively.

At the same event, Euro NCAP received an additional award of appreciation by sister organisation Latin NCAP for its support in the establishment of the programme for Latin America, as well as a trophy from China Automotive Technology and Research Center in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

Since its establishment in 1997, Euro NCAP has been the catalyst for significant and sustained advances in automotive safety. Its independent crash tests and continuously evolving assessment protocols have given consumers the knowledge they needed to help choose safety and an estimated 76,000 lives have been saved in the EU as a result. 

David Ward, Global NCAP Secretary General, said: “Euro NCAP has emphasised the importance of AEB for vulnerable road user protection including pedestrians and cyclists, and also promotes speed assistance technology. Its new Roadmap 2025 strategy takes Euro NCAP towards a vision of zero fatalities and serious injuries”.

Latin NCAP Secretary General, Alejandro Furas, added: “Euro NCAP has been instrumental in the success of Latin NCAP by providing technical and strategic guidance and know-how from the start. We look forward to continue the dialog between the two programmes, to share best practice and our experiences.”

Congratulating Euro NCAP, Feng Yi, executive vice-president of the C-NCAP Management Center, said: “It is a great achievement to have provided European car-buyers with such important information for 20 years. The new Roadmap continues to push for higher standards and we congratulate Euro NCAP, at this important point in its history, for its vision of a safer future.” 

Pierre Castaing, president of Euro NCAP, said: “We are very proud of what Euro NCAP has achieved over the last 20 years. Many thousands of lives have been saved by the improvements in safety that Euro NCAP has driven and it is an honour for our efforts to be recognised by those doing similar work in other parts of the world. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with other road safety organisations, with industry and, of course, with consumers.”

Euro NCAP's Road Map 2025
On September 12, Euro NCAP launched its Road Map 2025, setting out for the first time the programme’s priorities for the mobility and technological revolution the auto industry is just beginning to experience. Its objective is to offer clarity and confidence to motoring consumers, highlighting new automated driving technologies and raising awareness of their benefits whilst also helping to ensure their safety potential is fully realised.  

As the Road Map 2025 makes clear, Euro NCAP will challenge vehicle manufacturers to offer the best possible technology as standard in all segments and countries, protecting not only car occupants of all ages but also increasingly addressing the safety of other more vulnerable road users. 

Euro NCAP says that while secondary safety is and will remain at the heart of its consumer ratings for some time, primary safety will have an increasingly important role to play, and for the first time now tertiary safety is addressed. Its strategy going forward will be to emphasise the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary safety features as enablers of a more holistic, safe system approach, in Pursuit of Vision Zero. 

The Road Map outlines a timeline for the introduction of key protocol enhancements, including: 

Primary Safety
Driver Monitoring (2020), Automatic Emergency Steering (2020, 2022), Autonomous Emergency Braking (2020, 2022), Vehicle to Vehicle Data Exchange and Vehicle to Infrastructure (2024) 

Secondary Safety
Whiplash/Rear-end Crash Protection (2020), Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety (2022) 

Tertiary Safety
Rescue, Extrication and Safety (2020), Child Presence Detection (2022)