Ford Falcon FG 2008-09 rated safest used car in Australia

[Grunter]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/n...-1226101881622

THE Ford Falcon FG has been rated the safest used car in the country and the 1996 Daihatsu Mira the worst.

Analysis of more than 4 million crashed cars by Monash University's Accident Research Centre found the 2008-09 Falcon FG offered the best protection to occupants and other road users.

In contrast, the risk of injury or death in the 1996 Mira was 8.2 times higher than in the Falcon.

The RACQ's vehicle technologies manager Steve Spalding said 19 used vehicles were rated as "safe picks" including a number of small cars.

These included the Honda Civic 2006-2009, Peugeot 307 2001-2009, Volvo S40/V40 1997-2004, Volkswagen Golf/Bora 1999-2004 and Volkswagen Golf/Jetta 2004-2009.

"One of the benefits of choosing a smaller but safe vehicle is the ability to save on fuel costs without compromising safety," Mr Spalding said.

"The Volkswagen Golf is a good example of a Safe Pick that is also economical to run."

Of the medium cars, the Mazda 6 2002-07 and the Honda Accord 2003-07 were among the safest, while the Toyota Camry 206-09 also earned a five-star rating.

The results showed vehicle safety has greatly improved since 1996, with the average risk of death or serious injury to the driver of a 2009 car being about 30 per cent less than for the driver of a 1996 vehicle.