David Aylor, IIHS Vice President, Active Safety, and Joe Hanson delve into IIHS crash avoidance ratings and explore new (and old) technologies that can mitigate and sometimes even prevent a crash. Watch a live demonstration, learn about the sophisticated local positioning systems and specialized targets IIHS uses in front crash prevention testing, and see how engineers at this STEM laboratory make vehicles safer for everyone – inside and outside of the car.

David Aylor IIHS Vice President, Active Safety

Mr. Aylor has worked at IIHS since 2004 and has been closely involved with all of their testing programs. Most recently, he helped develop the evaluation program for front crash prevention systems. His areas of research include rear impact, low-speed damageability, and crash avoidance technology. Mr. Aylor received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia.

Joe Hanson Creator and Host |

Joe Hanson, Ph.D., is a science writer, biologist, educator, and YouTube creator. He is the creator and host of Be Smart, an award-winning science education show from PBS that celebrates curiosity and the pleasure of finding things out. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, and his science writing has been published by WIRED, Nautilus, Scientific American and Texas Monthly. He lives in Austin, TX.

Joe's Twitter. Joe's Instagram. Joe's TikTok.

Notes and Resources:

Crash Cushion Design Lesson

Crash Science in the Classroom Lesson Units by IIHS

The Be Smart YouTube Channel 

The Be Smart website