Automobile Club d’Italia Joins Euro NCAP
by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor-in-Chief.
Date: 18 December 2010
Automobile Club d’Italia, a Federation of 106 Provincial Automobile Clubs and better known as ACI (pronounced ah-chee), will formally become Euro NCAP’s twelfth member as of 1st January 2011...
With now over 1.1 million members, ACI is the largest association representing the Italian car drivers at national and international levels.
Important Network
Since its foundation in 1905, ACI has grown into an important network for motoring consumers in Italy. It represents and protects the interests of Italian motoring, promoting its development and is entrusted by the State with the running of some public services such as the Public Register of Motor vehicles as well as dealing with foreign drivers and their documents, such as providing translations etc.
Today the organization actively disseminates and promotes road safety issues such as the risks of drink driving, active and passive safety devices, and road safety education.
A Considerable Step Forward
Enrico Gelpi, ACI’s President says: "By joining Euro NCAP, ACI will further strengthen its role as an important advocate for safer cars on Italian roads."
Having ACI join is a considerable step forward as Italy is the second largest European automotive market and has the highest rate of car ownership in Europe – 60 cars per 100 inhabitants, with around 36 million circulating cars.
As a Euro NCAP member, ACI will sponsor the testing of at least one car model per year and contribute actively to the development of the program.
Euro NCAP is composed of motoring, consumer and insurance organizations as well as seven European Governments. However, until now Italy was not directly represented in Euro NCAP.
Safer Cars
Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, clearly understood the significance of this new member. ‘With every new member that joins Euro NCAP, we build momentum and create new opportunities to raise awareness about safer cars” he said and he continued, “Italians love their cars and everything about cars. ACI’s membership will bring the Italian car buyers not only improvement in the availability of accurate and timely information about vehicle safety, but also more direct influence on future demands in terms of technology and fitment. We warmly welcome ACI and hope this new commitment will help further increase the safety culture in Italy.’
Indeed, let us not only look forward to safer and more fuel efficient cars, but if the Italians have any say in the matter, they will be cars with style.
