How the IIHS Founder Warned Drivers About Speed’s Dangers Almost a Decade Before He Started the Organization
Kemper’s early safety work
The films were made with the LAPD and Traffic Safety Films Inc. The LAPD partnership brought Sergeant Bruce into several films as an on-camera presenter of safety lessons.
A warning about speed
In “Speed, The Accident Multiplier,” Sergeant Bruce uses charts and figures to explain how speed increases stopping distances. The film’s central point is that faster driving leaves more distance needed to brake and can make the damage from a collision catastrophic.
From films to the IIHS
Kemper’s organizations made other films in 1950, including “Following Too Close,” “Driver Irritations,” “Child Safety” and “Driver or Pedestrian.” In the last film, Bruce introduces a driver before the scene cuts to a tombstone, framing the person as someone who became a pedestrian. Nine years later, Kemper’s company joined two other insurance companies to form the IIHS. About a decade after that, the organization became an independent scientific research body and began conducting vehicle safety tests, which continue to provide consumers with information about vehicle safety.
An insurance legacy
Kemper also helped bring mutual insurance to greater prominence in the United States. In this model, policyholders own the insurance company, rather than stock shareholders. His obituary quoted him saying he wanted claims settled quickly in cash and saw no value in contesting claims the company would ultimately pay. His insurance company, now Kemper Insurance, and his role in establishing the IIHS remain parts of his legacy.
Key points
- Kemper backed driver-safety films before the IIHS was formed.
- LAPD Sergeant Bruce used charts to explain how speed increases stopping distances.
- Kemper’s company joined two insurers to establish the IIHS nine years later.
- The IIHS later became a scientific research organization and began vehicle safety testing.