LESLEY UPHAM, DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, THATCHAM
The ABI (Association of British Insurers) in their 2007 Annual Motor Claims Report highlighted the diminishing impact of motor accident damage claims and the dramatic increase in personal injury costs. Personal injury comprises a high proportion of whiplash claims as well as claims for more serious injury suffered in high speed crashes with other vehicles or in ‘single vehicle’ accidents commonly termed ‘loss of control’. It also comprises claims for pedestrian injury, a low frequency but highly injurious accident. The latter claims are of very high value often reaching into millions of pounds.
It is against this backdrop that Thatcham, the British motor insurers’ vehicle research centre are working hard to minimise and prevent Personal Injury and the subsequent insurance claims, through their research and reporting on the range of primary (accident avoidance) and secondary vehicle safety (crash protection) systems.
Over the past 50 years, vehicle manufacturers have focused mainly on the need to protect the occupant in a crash and Thatcham have reported on many new technologies designed to reduce the risk of injury, such as steering wheel airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners and stronger occupant compartments (secondary safety). As the most common injury in car crashes, and costing UK insurers nearly £2bn per year in claims costs, whiplash has been a particular focus for Thatcham who have been testing seats and head restraints for their ability to mitigate whiplash since 2004. A vehicle’s seat and head restraint design are key to effective whiplash injury prevention, in particular the size and placement of the head restraint and its ability to lock to stop it being lowered to an ineffective position. Over the years Thatcham have openly published seat ratings and worked closely with vehicle manufacturers to encourage improved designs. The 2010 ratings showed 51 per cent of seats now rated as good – this compares with just 16 per cent in 2005.
This success story is indicative of Thatcham’s influence and in recent years the research centre has turned its attention to primary safety technologies designed to prevent or mitigate the likelihood of a crash occurring in the first place. Also known as Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) these technologies will have a significant effect on the way the public view crash safety, and include Electronic Stability Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking systems, Pedestrian Protection, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist systems and many others - most recently new ‘key technologies’ (technologies contained within the ignition key itself) such as Alco-Locks and Youth Keys, some of which are not yet on European roads but will be coming soon.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) in particular is an example of a technology that has been shown to reduce life-threatening crashes by up to 25 per cent. By applying braking to individual wheels, it can help to prevent a skid or spin. As in the case of whiplash, Thatcham have created an easy to understand rating system around ESC designed to indicate both the availability and effectiveness of ESC on the top-selling European vehicles. New Autonomous Emergency Braking systems also use automatic application of braking, which reduce speed rather than controlling the direction of the vehicle. These new technologies such as low cost radar, lasers and optical sensors are now being fitted to mainstream vehicles that will enable the car to monitor both road conditions and traffic levels, and ensure that our cars do not collide.
Thatcham’s research into these primary vehicle safety technologies is focused on the development and promotion of safer vehicles and is part of the ongoing strategy which involves working closely with the safety community, in particular Euro NCAP, RCAR (Research Council for Automobile Repair), P-SAFE and eSafetyAware to drive better vehicle design to minimise and prevent Personal Injury. Since 2009, Thatcham’s ESC fitment ratings, which reflect the availability of standard fit ESC, have been used by Euro NCAP as a key component of their overall car assessment in the area of Safety Assist. The European car safety organisation has also reviewed Thatcham’s definition of test procedure with regard to the dynamic testing and therefore performance of different ESC systems and are now republishing this research data as additional safety information for consumers.
Events such as the eSafety Challenge are, therefore, an ideal opportunity for Thatcham and like- minded organisations to showcase new technologies and present those research findings to a wider and influential audience on a European scale. The opportunity for visitors to try some of these technologies first hand is key to their success in fixing their place firmly in the consciousness of the motoring public and ultimately makings our roads a safer place to be.
For more information on Thatcham and to find a range of vehicle safety ratings see www.thatcham.org
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