As New Zealand and Australia have seen multiple cases of flooding recently, ANCAP crash test ratings will now consider how safe a vehicle is when submerged in water.
ANCAP, The Australian New Car Assessment Program, will add 'Underwater Escape' testing to safety ratings, giving buyers an indication of how safe a vehicle is when submerged by water.
The test will last for a period of 10 minutes, with the car completely underwater. Automakers will need to demonstrate that electric windows still work, and the doors are able to be opened, without battery power available, to allow passengers to escape.
If the windows don't operate underwater, the automaker can offer an alternative way for the window to be opened or broken, but instructions need to be outlined in the car's manual.
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Escaping a car underwater isn't easy. Water pressure holds the doors shut, and electric windows and locks can fail to work. The new test ratings will help buyers to determine how easy it'll be to escape their vehicle in the case of getting trapped in floodwaters or crashing into lakes, rivers, or streams.
Australia has seen cases of extreme flooding this winter, particularly in eastern states. Some parts of New South Wales saw 36.7 inches of rain over a four-day period, and record rainfall has been recorded in New Zealand, in Aoraki Mt Cook Village and Wanaka.
371mm fell from 9am on Monday to 9am on Tuesday at the village, a new daily record for July according to Niwa. That's more than a month's worth of rain in 25 hours. 48.6mm was recorded in Wanaka in the same time frame - it's wettest day of July on record. The below image is of Lake Ohau Rd on Tuesday morning.
Other changes to the ANCAP 2023 testing regime include focusing on child detection systems, including reminding the driver not to leave a child in a locked car, and automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems, particularly how they function around motorcycles.