Deephouse, Lee to Lead IIHS and HLDI Boards

Why It Matters

New leadership at IIHS and HLDI could reshape safety research and insurance pricing, influencing vehicle design standards and loss‑cost modeling across the industry.

Key Takeaways

• Deephouse becomes IIHS board chair, starting 2026
• Lee retains HLDI chairmanship through 2026
• Boards include executives from major U.S. insurers
• Leadership shift may steer safety data priorities

Pulse Analysis

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and its sister organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), are the leading independent sources of crash testing, vehicle safety ratings, and loss‑cost analysis in the United States. Their research informs manufacturers, regulators, and consumers, shaping vehicle design standards and insurance pricing models. By aggregating real‑world claim data and conducting controlled crash experiments, the institutes provide the empirical backbone for safety legislation such as NHTSA’s fuel‑economy and crash‑worthiness rules. Their credibility rests on a board composed of senior insurance executives who bring market insight to the data.

Brian Deephouse, Auto Club Enterprises’ chief actuary, will assume the IIHS chairmanship in 2026, succeeding Allstate’s Ginger Purgatorio. Dawn Lee, PEMCO Mutual’s chief product and underwriting officer, continues to lead HLDI after first taking the role in July. Both leaders possess deep actuarial and product‑development expertise, positioning the boards to prioritize predictive analytics and loss‑cost modeling alongside traditional crash testing. Their appointments signal a potential shift toward integrating actuarial risk assessments with safety research, which could refine rating algorithms and accelerate adoption of emerging safety technologies.

The refreshed leadership arrives as the auto industry grapples with autonomous vehicles, advanced driver‑assistance systems, and evolving insurance models. With board members drawn from a cross‑section of carriers—such as Liberty Mutual, Progressive, and State Farm—the institutes are likely to emphasize data transparency and collaborative standards that benefit both insurers and manufacturers. Stakeholders can expect more granular loss‑cost studies, faster dissemination of safety findings, and possibly new metrics that align with telematics and usage‑based insurance. Ultimately, these changes aim to reduce crash frequency and severity, reinforcing the institutes’ mission to save lives and lower insurance costs.