Road safety advocates want tighter import standards for big utes
Road safety advocates are urging the federal government to strengthen import standards for large utes due to their growing popularity and safety risks. Data shows a 270% increase in large ute sales since 2019, with concerns about higher pedestrian fatality risks and inadequate road infrastructure. The National Transport Research Organisation and ANCAP Safety are calling for updated safety requirements to include advanced safety technology and improved crash barrier standards.
- ▪There has been a 270 per cent increase in large ute sales in Australia since 2019, according to ANCAP Safety.
- ▪US data indicates that pick-up trucks with bonnet heights above 1 metre are about 45 per cent more likely to cause pedestrian deaths.
- ▪Large utes can punch through standard W-Beam and wire-rope crash barriers, raising concerns about road safety infrastructure.
- ▪The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 received a Bronze ANCAP rating with only 27 per cent for collision avoidance.
- ▪The federal government states it continually reviews road vehicle standards to ensure the market is safe, secure and sustainable.
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Road safety advocates want better import standards for large utesGBy Grace WhitesideABC Wide BayTopic:Roads35m ago35 minutes agoFri 1 May 2026 at 8:32pmThere has been a 270 per cent increase in big ute sales since 2019. (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)In short:The National Transport Research Organisation is calling on the federal government to tighten safety standards for imported large utes.ANCAP Safety data shows there has been a 270 per cent increase in large ute sales since 2019.What's next? The federal government says it continually reviews road vehicle standards to ensure the market is "safe, secure and sustainable".
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).