How Do Euro NCAP Results Correlate with Real-Life Injury Risks? A Paired Comparison Study of Car-to-Car Crashes

The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) is a resource for consumers regarding vehicle crash safety. The program promotes safety developments, and credits car manufacturers for focusing on safety. This study was based on real-life car-to-car crashes and results show that the overall indication of the safety level, provided by the Euro NCAP crash testing, is a valid prediction when considering severe or fatal injuries. No significant injury risk differences were seen for minor injury crashes. In car-to-car collisions, cars with three or four stars were found to be approximately 30 % safer when compared with two-star cars or cars without a Euro NCAP score. The strong correlation between injury risk and Euro NCAP scores is not necessarily similarly good for individual car models. Pedestrian safety and child occupant protection were not considered in the present study