ASEAN-NCAP to include Motorcyclist Safety in future assessments

It’s an open secret that Southeast Asia is among the regions in the world with a dense population of motorcycle riders – 80% of road users in our region are motorcycle riders. That’s why we, as motorists riding on four wheels, should be wary of other road users and share the road with motorcyclists generously. No matter where you look at it, this should be an important part of everyone’s life on the road. After all, we’re all paying taxes, right?

The ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) is parallel to this thinking as well. In fact, in its Roadmap 2021-2025, the agency announces that it will add a new category to its safety tests of new cars: Motorcyclist Safety.

Currently, the main categories in the ASEAN-NCAP are Adult Occupancy Protection (AOP), Child Occupancy Protection (COP), and Safety Assist Technology (SAT).

AOP looks into impact protection to the drivers and adult passengers, checking how strong (or weak) the available safety systems are to prevent injuries of death. COP, on the other hand, looks into the impact protection on young passengers, as well as the ease and effectiveness of child seat installation into the vehicle.

Lastly, SAT is about the available safety tech features in the vehicle that could mitigate or prevent imminent dangers when driving. These features include automatic braking, blind spot detection, and lane departure warning, among others.

With these categories in place, vehicles like the Nissan Terra and the Toyota Rush were able to get 5 perfect stars for the 2018 assessment.

Starting in 2021, however, ASEAN-NCAP will include Motorcyclist Safety will be added as a major category in assessing new cars. Under this new category, five things will be looked at by the agency: (1) Blind Spot Detection and Blind Spot Visualization, (2) Advanced Rear View Mirror, (3) Auto High Beam, (4) Pedestrian Protection, and (5) Advanced Motorcyclist Safety Technology.

With this, ASEAN-NCAP expects car manufacturers to produce even safer cars, not only for the actual occupants of the vehicle but also for other road users. The agency also wants to raise the standard of safety within the region – a vision that would be very beneficial to consumers and manufacturers alike.