Worldwide vehicle safety standards have a concerning disparity that places millions of lives at greater

risk. While the European Union (EU) enforces rigorous safety protocols through Euro NCAP testing, vehicle safety standards in Africa operate under significantly more lenient requirements.

Global NCAP exposed these disparities in real-world testing. The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, expands: “A 2019 Nissan NP300 Hardbody sold in Africa was crashed into a second-hand 2015 Nissan Navara NP300 manufactured in Europe. The driver in a new African Nissan would likely have died from their injuries but the driver in a second-hand European Nissan would be unharmed.

“The European vehicle was equipped with Electronic Stability Control, while the new African version lacked it entirely. This difference illustrates how life-saving safety features are left out of vehicles intended for markets with weaker regulatory frameworks.”

A dangerous double standard in global automotive safety has developed as a result. “While it is due to differences in regulatory requirements, manufacturer priorities, and economic conditions, greater pressure should be placed on role players to increase access to vehicle purchasing without sacrificing safety.

“European vehicles must meet stringent standards for ESC, multiple airbag systems, and driver assistance technologies as mandatory requirements. Unsurprisingly, the EU is also the continent with the lowest road fatalities. This alone should inspire greater prioritisation of vehicle safety standards in Africa.”

While the disparity in fatalities is due to multiple factors, basic vehicle safety plays a role. “Africa has a road fatality rate of approximately 27 per 100 000 people versus 9 per 100 000 in Europe. Yet, African vehicles would fail to achieve even one-star ratings under European testing protocols despite ratings achieved at home.

“Global NCAP testing in Africa focuses primarily on basic crashworthiness rather than the comprehensive safety feature evaluation of Europe. This limited approach sees vehicles passing grades while lacking fundamental safety systems that are standard in the EU.”

Often these disparities are justified using economic constraints and demand for affordable vehicles. “Does this mean that lives in certain markets are deemed less valuable because consumers cannot afford safety features that are essential in other markets? While comprehensive safety features do have significant price differences, basic safety features do not.

“Yet, In South Africa, many entry-level vehicles lack basic safety features. A report by the Automobile Association (AA) says out of 27 tested vehicles, only four have acceptable safety standards. This means a large portion of new cars in South Africa are not equipped with essential safety features that are standard in many other markets.”

Against this backdrop, Chery recently announced it will conduct Africa’s first real-world dual-vehicle collision test. “Two identical Tiggo 9 SUVs will be tested in a 50% offset impact at 50 km/h.

“Perhaps this will be the first step in urging the industry to challenge geographical safety disparities and show consistent global safety standards is both possible and necessary,” says Herbert.