Crash test dummies wanted

Want to be a crash test dummy and live to tell the tale? A temporary showroom in Sydney's CBD is giving people the chance to get behind the wheel and crash a car -and then go back in time to crash one from the 1980s to compare the difference.

One of the active displays invites people to wear a 3D mask and get behind the wheel of a brand-new Holden Commodore which crashes - virtually - into a barrier at the same speed crash tests are conducted. The system then resets and the same stunt is done in a 1982 Commodore, with catastrophic results.

The Crashed Car Showroom by NRMA Insurance in York Street Sydney is open free to the public for the next 10 days.

The project is designed to demonstrate the significant improvements in car safety over the past three decades, in addition to airbags and stronger body structures. A study by NRMA Insurance found most drivers don't know the type of safety features in their cars.

"A lot of people say safety is important when choosing a car, but in reality only 1 in 10 know what safety features are available and what they actually do," said Robert McDonald, the research manager for NRMA Insurance.

The survey found most people could only name seatbelts and brakes as the safety features on their car.

Most new cars sold today have at least six airbags and stability control (a system which temporarily cuts engine power and applies the brakes if it detects a skid in a corner) while an increasing number of family cars are equipped with rear-view cameras, parking sensors and radars that warn of cross-traffic when you're reversing.

One of the safest cars in the world, the Volvo V40 hatch, even has an airbag to protect pedestrians, which automatically pops up between the bonnet and the windscreen.

The latest Census figures show the average age of cars in Australia has fallen to below 10 years (to 9.9 years) for the first time since records were kept, however this figure is still higher than other developed countries. The average age of motor vehicles in Japan, the UK, and North America is between six and eight years.

Newer cars with more safety features are believed to be one of the hidden contributors to Australia recording the lowest road toll in 89 years in 2013.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling