Liz Dobson: Advances in safety will be lifesavers

The Hyundai Genesis scored a 5 star ANCAP safety rating. Photo / Ted Baghurst.

One is large and expensive, the other is small and cheap but they both have something in common - two of the safest new cars on our roads.

The newly-launched Hyundai Genesis luxury large sedan (see page 6) is the highest rated vehicle by the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (Ancap), scoring 36.88 points out of a possible 37.

Priced from $99,990, the five-star rated Genesis has as standard a plethora of airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), electronic brake distribution (EBD) and electronic stability control (ESC) plus a pop-up bonnet that provides extra protection for pedestrians.

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The latest Honda Jazz, that starts at $23,700, continues its five-star safety rating set by previous models of the Japanese hatchback.

It was also the first rating issued by Ancap using crash test data from the recently formed South East Asian New Car Assessment Programme, ASEAN NCAP.

All Jazz hatches made from July 2014 include as standard airbags, antilock brakes (ABS), EBD, and ESC.

The NZ Transport Agency's Celia Patrick said it was pleasing to see vehicle manufacturers continuing to raise the bar for safety.

"We're aiming for a truly safe transport system that is more forgiving of human error, so no one pays with their life when a driver makes a mistake, and safer vehicles are a key part of a safe system. Multiple airbag packages can prevent serious injuries in a crash, and active safety features like ABS, EBD and ESC can prevent many crashes from happening in the first place," she said.

With more car companies across all budgets providing us with safer vehicles, it's time Kiwi buyers had such features on the 'must-have' list.