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IIHS at Work

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Looks Beyond Crash Tests

By Dave Willis

Crash testing isn’t the only thing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does. Not by a long shot. The organization, founded nearly 50 years ago by property/casualty insurers, is active in a number of key areas.

“We look at all kinds of ways motor vehicle crashes can be prevented,” says Adrian Lund, IIHS president. “A lot of people think they happen because drivers get careless. We know, scientifically, there are many ways to prevent crashes from occurring.”

Still, they do happen. So the group also works to prevent injuries and reduce their impact when the inevitable does occur.

Traffic speed

Traffic speed is one focus area in preventing crashes. “Speeds are rising, in part, because speed limits are,” Lund says, “but also because people don’t obey posted limits. We look for ways to supplement police resources to help keep people in compliance.”

One way is the use of speed cameras. “Instead of a patrol car chasing down a speeding driver on what could be a crowded highway – itself a potentially dangerous activity – you measure electronically,” Lund explains. Speeders trigger a camera that takes a license plate photo, which police later validate before sending out a ticket. “A speed camera program, when properly publicized by communities, can help keep speeds down,” he adds.

Some IIHS activities including the law enforcement support seem to have caught the eye of detractors, who say IIHS exists just to save insurance companies money. Lund has heard this before and is quick to respond. “Our work does save insurers money, but where they get their money is from the average consumer. If we prevent crashes and damage, and if insurers pay out less money, then consumers pay less for insurance – not to mention they incur fewer injuries or death. Everybody wins.”

The Institute also has researched elderly drivers, horsepower and the effects of too much of it, and cell phone use while driving. “We try to look for things we have a chance of affecting,” Lund explains. “People are increasingly dependent on cell phones, which can be distracting.” Individuals on cell phones are four times as likely to be in crashes as those who aren’t, IIHS research indicates. “Once a conversation begins, it doesn’t matter if it’s hands free or hand held,” Lund says.

Physical factors

Research looks at more than drivers, though. “Over the past five to ten years, we’ve focused attention on intersections and how to prevent intersection crashes and the serious injuries they bring,” he notes. Red-light camera enforcement is part of that research.

So are roundabouts. “Roundabouts represent an intersection design that, instead of punishing people for doing the wrong thing, gets people to do the right thing – namely slow down and merge with other traffic and share the intersection,” Lund explains. “We’ve seen a huge reduction in injury crashes at roundabouts. Equally interesting for those concerned about global warming and fuel economy – and I think we all are now, with gas prices where they are – traffic is more efficient.” To come up with its findings, IIHS studied law enforcement crash databases of intersections that have been changed to roundabouts, comparing them with those that use standard stop signs or signals.

IIHS physical environment research aims for simple solutions. Many people are probably familiar with rumble strips they cross when they stray off an interstate highway. Some states are putting the same features in the center of high-speed, two-lane roads. “These strips can reduce single vehicle crashes from people going off the side of the road, as well as head-on crashes on these two-lane highways,” Lund explains. “It’s a rather low-tech, low-cost countermeasure that’s very effective in reducing severe crashes.”

Vehicle research

Despite its other work, people probably know IIHS best for its vehicle research. But people also get confused because the Institute isn’t the only organization that crash tests vehicles. So does the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“NHTSA and the Institute share a common goal: we’re trying to promote the safety of motor vehicle travel,” Lund explains, “and we work pretty cooperatively.” NHTSA writes minimum safety regulations, while IIHS gives consumers additional information on how vehicles exceed minimum requirements. “When we do our crash tests and reveal differences in side-impact performance, for instance, we’re measuring for consumers how vehicles are better than what the government mandates.”

IIHS works closely with automakers, too. “It’s important to be open in what we’re doing,” Lund explains. “For instance, we find it very useful to let them know where our research is taking us – like when we started our side-impact program. That was a big step and a big departure from what the government was doing.” The program came about after more people started buying and driving large – and higher-off-the-ground – SUVs and pick-up trucks, and were involved in more side-impact crashes with standard-size vehicles.

“We started communicating our research to the automakers ahead of time, letting them know where we were going, so when we introduced the test, it didn’t catch them by surprise,” Lund explains. That helped minimize confrontation, it provided automakers an opportunity to offer test-design input, and it allowed time for them to conduct their own tests. “Frankly, automakers design vehicles and we don’t,” he adds. “Sometimes we get very good feedback on where our tests should go because we share our information with them.”

Public awareness

The organization has ratcheted up its communication to the public, too. Crash tests are posted to a number of websites, including YouTube.com. Test results are found on auto-pricing sites, such as Edmunds.com, and other sites, including MSN.com. And video news releases are distributed to TV stations – large and small – nationwide. “Our crash-test information is very well covered by the news media,” Lund explains. “When we have a release of new research, it’s covered by all of the national networks. We get a lot of traffic to our website from national coverage – not just when we send out crash-test footage, but also when we release other information.”

It’s this kind of visibility that encourages better driving habits, safer roads, and safer vehicles. That reduces physical damage – to cars and to people – and keeps loss costs down for IIHS member companies and other insurers. “The research we do helps control losses, but it also promotes the general welfare,” Lund notes. “It’s good when public health goals and insurer goals line up.” It doesn’t take a dummy to figure that out.

Dave Willis is a New Hampshire-based freelance writer.