Australia’s improving passenger vehicle safety record is not being matched across commercial vehicles, with new figures highlighting a sharper rise in fatalities involving light and heavy vehicles.
ANCAP SAFETY has welcomed the Australian Government’s Mid-term Review of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030, particularly its recognition of the contribution safer vehicles are making to reducing road trauma.
However, the review also identified changing areas of risk across the national vehicle fleet.
During the period examined, fatalities involving light commercial vehicles increased by an average of 12.1 per cent compared with the baseline period. Fatalities involving heavy vehicles rose by 7.2 per cent, while motorcycle-related fatalities increased by 28.3 per cent.
By comparison, fatalities involving passenger cars increased by just 0.3 per cent.
For fleet operators, the figures reinforce the need to apply the same level of scrutiny to the safety of vans, utilities and trucks that is now commonly applied to passenger vehicles.
“The Review reinforces the critical role safer vehicles play in protecting Australians and acknowledges the progress made through independent vehicle testing, assessment and consumer information,” ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said.
Safety focus must extend beyond passenger cars
ANCAP said improvements in the safety performance of Australia’s light vehicle fleet had been supported by continuing advances in crash protection and crash avoidance technology.
Passenger vehicles have also been the main focus of independent safety testing and consumer awareness programs. ANCAP believes that focus must now extend more broadly across the commercial vehicle market.
“These findings show why Australia’s focus on safer vehicles must continue to broaden beyond passenger cars to include commercial vans, light and heavy trucks and motorcycles,” Hoorweg said.
The message is particularly relevant for organisations replacing large numbers of utes and vans. Vehicle selection should consider more than purchase price, payload, towing capacity and operating costs.
Crash protection, autonomous emergency braking performance, vulnerable road-user detection, lane-support systems and other active safety technologies should form part of the procurement process.
ANCAP also argued that fleet safety improvements do not need to wait for new Australian Design Rules or other regulatory changes.
“Regulation is not the only policy lever available to improve vehicle safety. ANCAP’s vehicle assessment programs can incentivise safety technology well in advance of regulation,” Hoorweg said.
This gives fleet buyers an opportunity to influence the market by specifying higher safety standards when purchasing vehicles and awarding supply contracts.
Better data needed to identify emerging risks
The review called for stronger use of data and evidence when setting national priorities, directing investment and monitoring road-safety performance.
ANCAP said Australian authorities already collect significant amounts of information about crashes and vehicles, but the data needs to be brought together more consistently and made available nationally.
Adding greater detail about specific crash scenarios would help governments and safety organisations understand how vehicles perform in real-world conditions and identify where intervention is most likely to reduce deaths and serious injuries.
For fleet operators, better national information could also support vehicle-selection policies, driver training programs and more targeted risk management.
“Important crash and vehicle information is already collected across Australia. The opportunity now is to bring that information together more consistently and make it accessible nationally – including detail on the specific crash scenario,” Hoorweg said.
“This would provide a clearer picture of real-world vehicle performance, emerging risks and where policy, investment and focussed safety interventions can deliver the greatest benefit.”
Fleet organisations can apply the same principle internally by combining telematics, incident, maintenance and driver data. Looking beyond headline crash numbers can reveal recurring risks associated with particular vehicles, operating environments or types of work.
ANCAP said its independent testing complements government regulation by encouraging manufacturers to introduce safety technologies earlier and improve vehicle performance beyond minimum requirements.
For fleet managers, the review is a reminder that a compliant vehicle is not necessarily the safest available vehicle for the task.
As commercial vehicle choices expand, procurement teams have an opportunity to use their purchasing power to accelerate the introduction of safer vans, utilities and trucks—and help close the gap between passenger and commercial vehicle safety.
