It was relaunched late last year with a new look, an improved search system and a wider range of safety information. It includes the results of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), which is a scheme where vehicles are independently crash tested to show how safe occupants would be if they were in a serious front or side crash.
It also includes Used Car Safety Ratings, which are 'real world' ratings produced using statistical analysis of New Zealand and Australian crash data.
"We're trying to encourage the public to buy the safest car they can afford and so understand what is and isn't safe for their needs," Rossiter says. "Making information easily and freely available is one of the key goals of Rightcar."
As a rule, new cars are safer, because of the advances in technology and inbuilt safety features. However, safety features like airbags on their own do not guarantee that a vehicle will protect its occupants - that depends on how well the car has been designed as a whole, and the only way to sort the good from the bad is to physically crash test the vehicle.
However, the NZ fleet is aging as people hold on to cars longer through the recession, and the average age of vehicles on the road is now 13 years. There is obviously a big difference between the level of safety offered by a 13 year old vehicle and a new one, but there are good and bad choices at every age and price point.
"We don't want people thinking they need to shell out a lot for a safe vehicle. The site is to help Kiwi mums and dads get the safest car at their price point."
While cars are getting safer, the human body is still the weakest link.
"Quite simply, humans are very vulnerable to force; we're not as strong as we like to think. Even with good protection such as side airbags and electronic stability control in a vehicle, we're still really fragile in a crash."
All the technology in the world can't stop people hurting themselves if they were driving too fast for the conditions.
Last year there were 284 people killed and approximately 2058 were seriously injured in road crashes.
Even driving just a little over the speed limit significantly increases the impact on bodies in a crash, resulting in a much greater chance of serious injury or death. Reducing your speed is one of the key things you can do to keep safe on the roads.
Driving the safest car you can afford is another.? Visit rightcar.govt.nz for more information.
"We don't want people thinking they need to shell out a lot for a safe vehicle. The site is to help Kiwi mums and dads get the safest car at their price point."
Rate your own car:
Punch your car registration into the website search browser, and instantly get the information regarding its safety, efficiency, pollutants and CO2.
Safety ratings have a top score of five stars, while efficiency, pollution and CO2 have a top rating of six stars
