Crash

This section of Cars and culture put safety precautions to the test and considered the physical, social and economic cost of car crashes.

Our roads and environment create conditions peculiar to Australia that require their own approach to safety. With fewer divided roadways than other countries and more roadside trees, the incidence of head-on and side-on crashes is high. Our cars also require suspension and anti-lock braking systems attuned to the hazards of gravel roads rather than ice and snow. Airbags in Australian-made cars are activated at different times and rates to those in North America where people tend to rely on airbags rather than wear seatbelts. The electronic system that triggers the bags must also account for the effect of kangaroo bars on cars. Kangaroos are a major cause of single car crashes in rural Australia.

Crash images courtesy of NRMA

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