At this time of year, in the festive season, when city and household deliveries are so prolific, a safer van is the perfect gift for all. Euro NCAP aims to provide safety information to individuals purchasing vans, whether as a single tradesman or as a fleet ordering a few thousand units. In collaboration with the UK’s What Van? Awards, today, Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP’s Director of Strategic Development, presents Ford with the Safety Award for the Transit Courier. Ford also receives a ‘commended’ for the Transit Custom.
Around 6% of fatal crashes involve vans, however, it is frequently the third party who suffers the most, particularly vulnerable road users in congested city streets. Euro NCAP has evaluated over 95% of the European market’s vans, ranging from smaller car-derived N1 vans based on passenger vehicles to bigger N2 category vans weighing up to five tonnes. When subjected to rigorous testing, Euro NCAP has observed some significant disparities between passenger cars and vans. Not all commercial vans are equipped with the most recent ADAS features, including the ability to detect pedestrians and cyclists. Lane support systems, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, and lane keep assist are all available on certain vehicles. If speed assist technology is present, it is primarily manually configured and does not include a speed limit information function. Seatbelt reminders are often included for drivers but are not provided for front occupants.
In Euro NCAP’s testing, both the Transit Courier and the Transit Custom received a Platinum award and some of Euro NCAP’s highest scores in the category.
Congratulations once again to Ford for producing a highly safe van, ideal for businesses and fleets. This vehicle combines state-of-the-art active safety systems to keep drivers as well as company profits safe. This follows on from Euro NCAP’s successful launch of heavy goods vehicles testing last month. Euro NCAP now provides safety ratings for a wide range of vehicles, from vans (2 tonnes) to heavy trucks (up to 44 tonnes), ensuring safer options for business transport are always available. Matthew Avery, Director of Strategic Development Euro NCAP Editor’s note
For full results, visit www.euroncap.com or Euro NCAP’s newsroom for journalists.
For media information, please contact Cordelia Wilson at media@euroncap.com.
