Are airbags mandatory on a car?

By Ané Theron

They are mandatory in many countries, but in South Africa they are not. In the US, legislation was passed in 1998 that every car should have at least two airbags in front. Even though an airbag costs under R2800, here in SA we have quite a few death traps on wheels that aren’t issued with even one. Such an example is the Chery QQ3, with probably the most ironic tagline of all: “More car. More life.” ! It scored a shocking zero points in frontal-impact crash test conducted by Global NCAP in conjunction with the Automobile Association of South Africa, when the #SaferCarsforAfrica program was launched here late last year. The QQ3 also doesn’t have ABS (anti-lock brakes) - so no, ABS is not compulsory either. But hopefully this will all change in the next few years, thanks to increasing pressure by Global NCAP.

By 2020, Global NCAP is aiming for all new cars to meet UN crash test standards with airbags, ABS and ESC (stability control) fitted as standard. ESC is mandatory in most high-income countries. In South Africa, manufacturers like Renault are starting to see the light, with budget offerings such as the Sandero being issued with ESC as standard. In the same breath, their volume-selling budget-buy, the Renault KWID, has no ABS.

Lauchlan McIntosh, Chairman of Global NCAP, said: “We have provided assistance to launch similar programs (such as #SaferCarsforAfrica) in South America, India and the ASEAN region; programs  which have led to the delivery of safer cars into those markets over the last five years.”

Global NCAP is even going as far as pushing for mandatory Autonomous Emergency Braking, which will apply the brakes automatically if the driver doesn’t react in time. This advanced safety feature is mostly available in the premium brands, but there are somewhat more affordable cars (like the Opel Astra hatch) that are endowed with this.

In need of a safe and affordable car? The Toyota Etios and Renault Sandero both scored highly for adult and child protection in the frontal-impact safety crash test.

For the full report on the cars tested and all the information on the #SaferCarsforAfrica program, please visit the AA website here: