SA drivers getting less safe cars than Europe, AA warns

New concerns are being raised about the safety of certain cars being sold to South African drivers.

Automobile Association (AA) CEO, Bobby Ramagwede said that while some car manufacturers are producing safer vehicles for other regions, the same standards are not applied here.

"Simply put, vehicles that are manufactured for this local market, particularly entry-level vehicles, tend to be of a lower standard than their international (European) counterparts."

He explained that the safety standards prescribed by the government are far less than those required by other countries.

In South Africa, for example, regulations allow for a car to be approved for sale with just two airbags. This is not the case in Europe, said Ramagwede.

"In Europe, if a car doesn't have at least four airbags, including curtain airbags, it will not pass muster."

ALSO READ: Hyundai Grand i10 fails global safety test

Another safety feature, electronic stability control (ESC), which ranks second after the seatbelt as the most important feature for making a car safe, is standard in Europe.

"In South Africa, it's not a standard," explained Ramagwede.

He added that given South Africa's position as 'the most developed' on the continent, it is surprising that standards here do not match those in places like Europe and the United States.

"Why are our standards so low? Well, our government isn't particularly concerned about the standards, and they're comfortable with the very low benchmark."

ALSO READ: Zero-star safety ratings spark concern over cars sold in South Africa

Recently, the popular Hyundai Grand i10 was in the spotlight after it scored zero stars for adult occupant protection in crash tests conducted under the Safer Cars for Africa programme.

The tests, conducted at just 64km/h, showed a risk of potentially fatal injuries for front-seat occupants.

Hyundai maintained that the car complies with South African legal requirements.

Additionally, one of the country’s top-selling SUVs, the Toyota Corolla Cross, also came under fire after scoring two stars for adult occupants and three stars for child occupants.

Toyota responded by saying the vehicle is safe, but testers flagged the absence of curtain airbags as a key weakness.

Ramagwede said it is time manufacturers to put customers before their profits.

"I appeal to their moral side to build vehicles that are safer before vehicles that are incredibly profitable for them."

To listen to Bobby Ramagwede, CEO of the Automobile Association in conversation with 702's John Perlman, click audio below.