The archive · PR & Stunts · Strategic decision · 2019–2023
Volvo opens 40 years of crash data to all carmakers — E.V.A. wins Cannes Grand Prix
Volvo publishes 40+ years of real-crash research — 43,000 collisions, 72,000 people — as a free digital library, exposing women's higher risk in crashes.
Volvo Cars
What it had to solve
Most crash testing had been built around an average male dummy, and Volvo's real-world data showed women are more at risk for certain injuries, such as whiplash. Volvo had collected gender- and size-inclusive crash data since the 1970s but never opened it to the industry.
How it works
Most cars were developed around the average male crash-test dummy, and Volvo's real-world accident data showed women are more at risk for certain injuries, such as whiplash. Ahead of the 60th anniversary of its free three-point seatbelt patent, Volvo decided to open its safety research the same way.
Volvo compiled more than 40 years of research — data from 43,000 collisions and 72,000 people, plus virtual dummies representing women — into a digital library that any company could download for free. Agency Forsman & Bodenfors gave the data a character, EVA, and launched a global campaign with film, print, social and outdoor.
The initiative became news: it was covered by hundreds of outlets, praised by the European Commission, and sparked debate inside the auto industry as other carmakers embraced it. The data was downloaded more than 25,000 times, and the campaign won a Cannes Lions Grand Prix, a One Show Best of Show, and D&AD pencils.
Why it lands
- Volvo turned its own research asymmetry into a public good: women's crash data existed inside Volvo, and releasing it forced the whole industry to reckon with it.
- Giving the data a human face (EVA) made statistics legible and gave the campaign emotional weight beyond the library itself.
- The move aligned with Volvo's brand story — the company had already given away the three-point seatbelt patent in 1959 — so the gesture was credible, not a stunt.
- Openness created pressure: once the research was public, competitors adopting it validated Volvo's claim that its safety work was for everyone.
What it did
The research library was downloaded more than 25,000 times, the campaign drew hundreds of media mentions and praise from the European Commission, and it won a Cannes Lions Grand Prix plus One Show and D&AD honours.
What you can take
Share the moat: giving away proprietary knowledge can set an industry standard and build trust — Volvo had proven it with the free three-point seatbelt patent in 1959.
Since then
Volvo lists the E.V.A. Initiative among its most important inventions, alongside the three-point safety belt and rear-facing child seat. The open library remains available for download, and the campaign is cited in road-safety debate as a model of pre-competitive sharing of research.
Sources
- Volvo Cars celebrates 60 years of sharing safety knowledge with open-for-all digital library
- The E.V.A. Initiative
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