The organisation you’ve likely never heard of, that’s been influencing car design for more than 50 years

RCAR (www.rcar.org) is an international association of insurer-owned or operated automotive research centres, focused on reducing the human and economic costs of motor vehicle losses. And it’s quietly been doing this since 1972, via research into improved damage resistance, repairability, security, and safety.

22 members, spanning 18 countries and five continents comprise the RCAR international forum, where research findings and strategies for implementation are exchanged.

RCAR issues policy statements, design guides, position papers and other information for use in vehicle design, construction, repair, and insurance. This research is then used to ignite meaningful dialogue with vehicle manufacturers and others about putting that research to practical use.

Before looking at some examples of RCAR influence on modern vehicle design, it’s well worth touching upon the fascinating story of its formation, which began during the post-Second World War era in Sweden.

As a result of not being directly involved in the conflict, Sweden’s economy recovered much faster than its European counterparts. Its automotive industry thrived. In fact, the car fleet in Sweden expanded so rapidly that dealer and independent workshop capacity was outstripped by demand for repairs and servicing.

The increased cost of collision repairs meant that automobile insurance was being run at a loss for all insurance companies in Sweden. This situation became so pronounced that some insurance companies contemplated withdrawing from the market.

In the early 1960s, the renowned Folksam Group, one of Sweden’s largest insurance companies, established that the financial costs for repair had increased considerably more than other products and services. So began a mission to halt escalating costs and ensure that policyholders could afford the insurance cover they needed.

The full backstory can be read here, but Folksam’s mission to reduce motoring cost gained such international interest that it was invited to testify before the US Senate in 1965. Then followed a first successful project investigating car repair painting – the resulting method reduced the paint price list by 30% but was initially boycotted by Swedish paint shops, who declined work where the new price list was applied.

Eventually, Folksam invited its insurer competitors – who were continuing to pay the higher price – to adopt the new method and the new price. In addition, a proposal was made to form an insurance repair committee aimed at collaborative action towards lowering collision repair prices.

In 1966, a repair committee was indeed formed, and in its first year the notion of creating a rating system arose, considering how expensive the car was to repair and how sensitive it was to collision damage. A risk rating system was created, which ultimately served to inform car manufacturers of possible measures aimed at a favourable insurance classification for their cars.

RCAR was eventually formed in 1972 from representatives of the Repair Committees that had sprung up across the Nordics in the intervening years, Allianz Zentrum für Technik and Thatcham Research, who met in Stockholm to lay out the guiding principles for a future organisation focused on international co-operation.

And that, as mentioned, is the abridged version!

Over the next 51 years, RCAR and its focus on ‘insurability’ has positively impacted vehicle design in a myriad of ways.

For example, the RCAR Bumper?Test which encourages vehicle manufacturers to produce bumper?systems that feature tall energy absorbing beams and crash boxes fitted at common heights to effectively protect the vehicle in low-speed impacts. Or the ‘Vehicle Design Features for Optimum Low Speed Impact Performance’ guide, which we are proud to state was initiated by Thatcham Research and encouraged design solutions for improved damageability and repairability outcomes. While the RCAR ‘Whiplash Prevention’ working group, chaired by the USA’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety / Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS), has driven a significant reduction in neck injuries resulting from moderate and low-speed rear-end crashes, through the creation of a standard for evaluating and rating seats and head restraints.

This week, the global RCAR network – which has expanded beyond Europe to include like-minded insurer-funded research groups from the USA, Mexico, Japan, China, and South Korea – is convening in Washington DC. Thatcham Research’s chief executive Jonathan Hewett and chief technical officer Richard Billyeald are attending, excited to continue the same collaborative conversations, but in relation to vehicles that present a whole new set of challenges to cost-effective insurance.

These discussions are about a great deal more than sharing notes. As the ACE (Automated, Connected, Electric) agenda continues to change the shape of the automotive industry, driving ever-increasing technological complexity into vehicles, RCAR remains focused on creating standards and producing guidance that ultimately ensures a positive ownership experience for drivers. ??