CAR (UK)

How NCAP’s leading the digital safety charge

Reborn hatch punches above its weight in tougher, techier tests. By James Taylor

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ACAR’S CRASH TEST performanc­e is a matter of life and death, which safety body Euro NCAP has spent more than two decades assessing in its ever-evolving mission to raise standards. Its focus is increasing­ly turning to active safety: driver assistance technologi­es that aim to avoid a crash in the first place. New tests introduced for 2018 assess automated emergency braking systems, pedestrian and cyclist detection and lane-keeping devices.

The current Ford Focus is the biggest-selling UK car so far subjected to these 2018 regs. Euro NCAP’s secretary general Michiel van Ratingen notes: ‘The Focus delivers a very balanced package of driver assistance technologi­es, with the capability to make journeys safer, while also ensuring the driver needs to remain alert and ready to take appropriat­e action in an emergency.’ The Focus scored a five-star rating – here’s how.

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