Crash & Safety

We’re proud of our part in driving car safety improvements and helping to reduce the number of people who are killed or injured on UK roads each year The work of our Crash and Safety testing team is integral to this. The analysis and results from our testing provide consumers via the Euro NCAP rating process with a guide to safety and insurers with an evaluation of risk. Now as technology takes us ever closer to full vehicle autonomy we’re assessing a new generation of assisted driving technologies.

Group Rating

In Group Rating we’re hands on from vehicle concept to launch. Working directly with vehicle manufacturers we assess and rate all new vehicles, grouping them from 1 to 50 according to their parts and repair costs, safety and security risk. This rating is the basis for your car insurance quote.

We have the power to shape modern vehicle design, working with manufacturers to minimise potential risk and with insurers to make sure it is accurately reflected.

Training Academy

One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is how we use our research to inform and inspire others. Transferring the latest knowledge from our Research Technology Centre direct to our Training Academy helps us keep our training ahead of the curve. As well as ensuring the crash repair industry is ready to carry out safe and efficient repairs on the newest vehicles, with the very latest tools, techniques and thinking.

Whether it’s inspiring a new generation through our apprenticeship programmes, or building on the skills of experienced technicians, our Training Academy instructors are experts in their field and keen to share the knowledge.

Communications

We’re very proud of what we do and not at all shy about it. That’s why we see every new story, conversation, question and comment as an opportunity to get our message across and to add something new to the debate.

Our varied research programme means we’re rich on interesting content and unique expertise, whilst the sheer breadth of our work helps us to lead conversations across the full range of consumer, automotive and insurance media, on everything from autonomous cars to apprenticeship funding.

Digital

We’re a diverse business with an equally diverse customer and stakeholder base. From crash repair technicians to insurance engineers and claims handlers, each with their own concerns and priorities around safe, efficient repair and vehicle risk.

Our in-house software developers give us the ability to develop customised products that really deliver, whilst our product owners ensure timely upgrades and enhancements continue to add value through the lifecycle of the product. From business case to build, testing to acceptance, it’s thinking outside the box that helps us develop innovative products and solutions that really work for our customers.

Repair Technology Centre

If you want to carry out cutting edge vehicle research you’re going to need a state of the art environment in which to do it and for us that’s our Repair Technology Centre (RTC).

It’s where we really get to show the value of hands–on research as we dissect and rebuild the very latest vehicles, creating vehicle specific repair methods and pursuing more efficient approaches to crash repair in a world of lightweight, advanced materials like carbon fibre and aluminium. It’s about understanding the technology we have today and identifying the materials, tools and technologies that will challenge repairers and insurers in the future.

Insurance Research

Guiding our own research focus and providing insight for insurer stakeholders is what drives our Insurance Research Data Team. Analysing real world accident data helps us understand how, where and why crashes and injuries occur and how they could be avoided in the future. It can help us draw conclusions about the effectiveness of new safety technologies and this in turn drives the focus of our track based research on assisted and automated driving. We’re also using predictive data modelling to begin to unravel the ‘claim of the future’ providing early insight to help insurers formulate their own claims strategies, up to 10 years ahead.

Support Services

When you’re dealing with cars and new technology there’s never a quiet moment and certainly not much time to think about the necessities of Finance, Human Resources, Facilities and Risk & Regulation. A good thing then that we have specialist teams in all those areas providing the core support and guidance that allows the rest of us to function efficiently, safely and on budget.

IT Support

No two days are the same when you’re responsible for the smooth running of a business critical ‘enterprise class’ IT system. Providing an uninterrupted service of IT equipment and telephony across three sites and an assortment of working environments, from classroom to crash lab can be an interesting challenge. Throw in a mix of bespoke, custom build software, alongside a 24/7 service level commitment to our customers, and you can see why we need a wide range of skills in the team from apprentice to expert. Our technology is ahead of the curve and development opportunities in our IT team equally cutting edge.

Customer Services

We don’t offer ordinary products and services, so it follows that we also take an extraordinary approach when it comes to customer services. We like to get close to our customers, to thoroughly understand their needs and motivations and to be able to offer fully scalable, tailored solutions. We see each and every customer interaction as a building block in the relationship and whether its access to repair methods and vehicle data, or training, it’s our Customer Services team who create, own and nurture that bond ensuring that our customer relationships are as individual and full of value as our products.