Matthew has worked in vehicle safety for 35 years. Now, as Director of Strategic Development for Euro NCAP, his role is focused on developing new strategic safety goals for the organisation in its pursuit of its 2030 vision zero objective.
His current focus is the implementation of a new Heavy Goods Vehicle program that will see European Trucks independently safety tested for the first time. Designed to address the growing number of vulnerable road user and car occupant crashes on European roads involving heavy commercial vehicles, the suite of tests will initially focus on active safety measures but move into passive safety in the future, complementing the commercial van tests already in the program.
Matthew spent 35 years as Director of Research at Thatcham Research in the UK, where he was instrumental in new whiplash tests subsequently adopted by consumer rating schemes globally. He then turned his attention to Active safety and was a pioneer in the development of tests for Car and Pedestrian AEB, as well as Lane Support Systems integrated into Euro NCAP testing since 2014.
Educated at Bournemouth University, Matthew has received numerous international awards for his vehicle safety work, including the Prince Michael of Kent Road Safety Award, the NHTSA Special Award, and the Automotive Safety Council’s Pathfinder Award. Matthew regularly appears on TV and radio promoting vehicle safety issues, encouraging all to take a safer route.