An ex-IIHS chief recounts how he survived a high-speed car crash

Its former president reaped the benefits of his agency’s work.

Adrian Lund worked at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for more than 30 years. The last 20 of those years were dedicated to making sure cars provide greater protection from crashes. Lund was the president of IIHS from 2006 to 2017. He saw improvements in safety on the vehicle front.

What better way to highlight the importance of IIHS then to have a crash in his car? – one that he and IIHS have worked together to improve safety.

An ex-IIHS chief recounts how he survived a high-speed car crash

Lund recalls in a video what happened after his 2020 BMW BMW 540i collided with him behind the wheel. Lund was driving around 60-65 miles an hour on Interstate 95 when the accident occurred. A 2016 BMW 228i, traveling in the wrong direction, suddenly appeared on the express lane and hit Lund head-on. The impact sent Lund’s car spinning and rolling until it came to a stop, upside-down.

Lund stated in the video that “This was high-speed collision, one which probably 10 years ago, and I wouldn’t have been here to talk about it.”

An ex-IIHS chief recounts how he survived a high-speed car crash

Lund sustained injuries in the accident but is still alive. The other driver was not able to survive the crash. The 29-year old woman who had made a U turn on the highway and gone the wrong direction was ejected because she was not wearing a seatbelt.

“In the end it’s about one thing: providing vehicle occupants the best protection in the event that there is an actual crash. The IIHS has been working towards the same goal for many decades. They have helped to drive vehicle safety by setting requirements and performing tests that are based on real-world crashes,” stated Dominik Schuster from BMW, vice president for vehicle safety.

He said, “Ultimately, Adrian Lund’s crash with his BMW 540i was a powerful example of how interaction between consumer protection organisations like IIHS and automobile manufacturers saves lives on roads.”