You’ve got your licence and now you want to buy your own car. What do you need to take in to consideration?

When buying your first car, it’s really important not to forget about safety. The 17 to 25 age group is heavily over-represented in crashes, so good protection for driver and passengers are more important than multi-stack CD players or a hot colour.  

Go online first – not to a car yard! 

When choosing a safe car, the internet is one of the first places you should visit.  

The NRMA’s website provides lots of useful safety info for buying your first car.  Go to www.mynrma.com.au/ucsr.htm for safety ratings of used cars and www.mynrma.com.au/ancap.html to find out how safe new cars are.   

How is the safety of a car rated? 

Unfortunately there have been a lot of crashes on our roads over the past 20 years.  The Used Car Safety Ratings study the records from over two million police-reported crashes in New Zealand and Australia over this time. 

The ratings of a car’s protection to drivers is influenced by the vehicle’s weight, structural design and it’s safety features, such as airbags and seat belts.  279 vehicle models have been rated. This covers nearly every car on the road in Australian and New Zealand.

The rating on how much a vehicle could harm other road users in a crash is influenced by the vehicle's mass, body stiffness and bonnet and bumper height. 

How are new cars rated? 

New car safety ratings (e.g. ANCAP (Australasian New Car Protection Program) are determined by crash testing vehicles in a controlled laboratory setting.  To find out more visit www.ancap.com.au Remember that any vehicle safety rating system can only provide a guide for you if you have a crash.    

Myths about vehicle safety 

MYTH: You can take more risks if you've got a vehicle with safety features - they will save you in a crash.

FACT: While safety features are more likely to increase your chances of surviving a crash, they don't make you indestructible.  Safety features won't necessarily save you from death or serious injury, particularly if you're speeding or not wearing your seat belt.

MYTH: A safe vehicle is more expensive.

FACT: Many reasonably priced makes and models score very well in the safety ratings and better than some of the more expensive models.

What other online info can help? 

Visit Free2go (www.befree2go.com.au). By joining, you not only get valuable driving and safety info, but 17 and 18 year olds get free NRMA roadside assistance for a year!   

As an inexperienced driver, it’s good to have roadside assistance to help you in new and unexpected situations, such as if your car has a flat tyre or if it runs out of fuel.