FTVG is pleased to announce the winner of its Outstanding Project Award as a study into whether heavier cars cause more severe collisions by Ruth Carlson and Dr. Nima Dadashzadeh.
The award was presented at the conclusion of the Better Transport Conference in Manchester, where all FTVG participants presented their work.
The project aimed to investigate this relationship by analysing data from 2019 – 2023 to understand how car weight impacts on the severity and likelihood of collisions.
Based on the sample they collected, the group found that people driving heavier cars are disproportionately involved in more fatal collisions.
“What we have is a proof of concept for other people, councils, or academics who need vehicle statistics going forward and want to influence road safety policies and vehicle manufacturing standards” said Ruth, “There’s much more to analyse but we hope to develop this into an academic paper in future.”
“We’re keen to emphasise that this is a discussion around weight, rather than a particular car model or body type” adds Nima, “This avoids some politicisation around certain types of cars and enables us to facilitate further discussions more easily.”
The FTVG Steering Group, who judged the contest said;
“This is a good triangulation of data and provides some food for thought around some headline-provoking research. We believe this project has the potential to deliver the strongest and most significant impact to the wider sector and look forward to seeing how they can refine their research and findings.”
The group has been awarded a prize fund to help promote and shape their idea further, as well as access to continued mentoring and support from FTVG.
A summary paper of the group’s work can be found here: Investigating the relationship between car weight and fatal collision rates – alongside its Appendices.