About 40 percent of annual kilometers traveled in Australia will be in five star cars in 2015, a number expected to increase to nearly 70 percent by 2020, according to the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). As a result, one-third fewer Australians will be killed or seriously injured in cars by 2020, which should result in a societal cost savings of more than AU$2 billion per year.

These key findings were presented by ANCAP at the 24th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) which opened in Gothenburg, Sweden, earlier this week.

Due to the uptake of five star cars across the Australian fleet, ANCAP said it predicts a one-third reduction in the number of Australians killed or seriously injured by 2020, compared with 2001, when there were no five star rated cars on Australian roads.

“As a result of safer cars, the risk of being killed or seriously injured on Australia’s roads today is halved compared to 15 years ago,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Nicholas Clarke. “ANCAP has been instrumental in increasing car safety and this will only increase as ANCAP continues to raise the bar through increasing requirements.”

The paper evaluated the uptake of key safety features such as curtain airbags, electronic stability control and intelligent seat belt reminders between 2001 and 2014. The uptake of these features have been strongly influenced through the ANCAP rating system, according to the organization.

The paper, Vehicle safety trends and the influence of NCAP safety ratings, is one of four papers by ANCAP at the conference.

ESV is an international forum organized by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which provides the opportunity to share innovative advances in motor vehicle safety and encourage international cooperation. It is attended by governments, automobile manufacturers/suppliers, safety researchers and professionals, medical, insurance, legal and policy professionals, consumers, and academics from across the globe.

ANCAP is supported by all Australian and New Zealand motoring clubs, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, Australian state and territory governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation.