ENCAP gets safety prize

03 December 2003: The Euro NCAP crash test programme has won the top award in the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award scheme.

The award was presented yesterday by its sponsor, Prince Michael of Kent, who said it is widely accepted that the New Car Assessment Programme has made a major contribution to car safety design and to raising awareness amongst the public.

"'The contribution of the motor industry especially in design terms has been most significant," he added. "To think that we now have cars with nine airbags as standard when only six or seven years ago a driver's airbag was often only an optional extra. The development of better braking systems and stability control has been revolutionary. There is little doubt that most companies place safety high on their design priorities, yet much of this work goes un-acknowledged - it is under the bonnet so not seen."

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