It is with deep sadness that ACRS acknowledges the passing of Mr Nicholas Clarke.
Nick Clarke, the inaugural Business Manager and CEO of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) for the decade of 2005-2015 and later Interim CEO of the College in 2021, has passed away peacefully after the reoccurrence of cancer.
Nick was a passionate road safety campaigner and manager, taking ANCAP from a cooperative Joint Venture of State Governments and the motoring organisations through the AAA, to a viable company which expanded to include those original participants, the AANZ, TAC, Territory governments, the Australian Government and others with direct links to EuroNCAP, other world NCAPs and then with Global NCAP.
With his team he oversaw the management and development of crash tests of hundreds of new vehicles in the Australian and New Zealand new car market including the reporting of the results to new car buyers both in the fleet and personal markets. Consumer acceptance of ANCAP in that decade grew from less than 30% to 74%, industry sentiment shifted from resistance to acceptance, and the share of new vehicles sold with a five-star rating increased from around 15% to 82%. Many, many Australian and New Zealand car owners today are alive and not injured as a result of the improved safer performance sought by consumers following ANCAP advice, which encouraged manufacturers to considerably improve their products. ANCAP continues successfully today ensuring new car buyers have the latest independent advice on potential new vehicle safety performance.
Nick was highly respected across all sectors for his commitment to ANCAP and also for his contribution at the College as interim CEO during a 6 month period in 2020-2021.
He will be sadly missed and we offer our condolences to his wife, Linda, five children, and all his family. Vale Nick.
-Lauchlan McIntosh OAM