OREANDA-NEWS. June 07, 2016. US scientist Dr. Adrian Lund is the latest winner of the “BMW Vehicle Safety Lifetime Achievement Award”. With this accolade, the BMW Group is honouring the highway safety expert’s long-standing commitment in the field of passenger protection and prevention of traffic accidents. Lund has been president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) since 2006. As an independent research organisation, the institute has, among other things, performed regular crash tests on new automobiles and carried out fundamental scientific work in the field of vehicle production, road planning and traffic psychology in order to demonstrate possibilities of reducing the number of accidents and lessening the consequences of collisions.  

Dr. Adrian Lund accepted the award during a visit to the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. It was presented by Professor Klaus Kompass, vice president of the BMW Group’s Vehicle Safety Division. In his laudatory speech, Kompass emphasised the remarkably broad spectrum of Lund’s scientific work. Early in his career, the graduate psychologist occupied himself with the hazards young drivers in particular are faced with as a result of their behaviour in road traffic and conducted studies concerning the effects of consuming alcohol and drugs on the ability to drive. Moreover, Lund contributed towards the further development of restraint systems in automobiles and carried out research on basic correlations between vehicle design and crash safety. With his multifaceted commitment he has earned merit both for advancement in the field of safety technology as well as for reducing the number of accidents on public roads.

Dr. Adrian Lund has worked for the renowned IIHS since 1981. For many years now, he has been one of the most well-known and influential experts in the field of accident research and traffic safety. With his many years of experience, Lund also makes appearances at many events as a scientific consultant to governmental bodies and non-public institutions. The IIHS, which was founded in 1959 by several American insurance companies, is known internationally for its particularly demanding and constantly further developed crash test programmes. These are carried out using state-of-the-art technology at the institute’s own Vehicle Research Center. The accolades “Top Safety Pick” and “Top Safety Pick+” awarded by the organisation are considered by car manufacturers worldwide as acknowledged proof of exceptionally high standards in the areas of vehicle safety and passenger protection.