Since 1969, the PSA and Renault Groups have been improving road safety with the LAB, an accidentology, biomechanics and human behavior studies laboratory. Created by Claude Tarrière in 1969, this is the first example in Europe of an association of two major car manufacturers in a non-competitive field. The LAB is a major contributor in terms of producing scientific publications in its field.
In 1972, the number of deaths on the French roads was at its peak with 16 545 deaths. In 45 years, this number has been divided by 5 to reach 3 248 killed in 2018. The drop in mortality is largely due to the technical progress of automobiles.
Through its work on drivers’ behavior, and on the tolerances of the human being in its diversity (how age, stature, sex, position... affect the causes and consequences of an accident), the LAB has been at the root of a remarkable advance in terms of road safety.
On the occasion of the celebration of LAB's 50th anniversary on the Nanterre site, Stéphane Buffat, LAB Director, said "We are very proud today to highlight our work and the LAB experts who, on a daily basis, are working to improve road safety and help save lives. Our strength is our expertise and know-how based on: Observation, Analysis and Anticipation. LAB's work enables the various stakeholders in the automotive industry to design tomorrow's technologies in order to continuously improve safety for all. "