"The Institute's work to help reduce crash injuries, deaths, and property damage on our nation's roads is as important as ever," Bennett said in a release.
"IIHS research and communications programs have had a significant and positive impact, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and fellow Board members this year to advance highway safety in the new decade," IIHS president Adrian Lund added. "Jonathan's strong leadership will help us continue to build on our successful research and crash test programs in 2010."
The new chairman will be assisted by Steven George, while Douglas Joyce is the new vice chairman.
IIHS' separate organization, Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), also has a new chairman, after the board appointed Bill Reddington to the position.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was founded fifty years ago (1959) by US insurers, at first as a research support body. Back then, carmakers said vehicle characteristics were irrelevant because people caused crashes, so people, not vehicles, needed to change.
The body began conducting its own research into a series of safety concerns in 1968 and today it works to reduce the number of vehicle crashes, the rate of injuries and the overall cost of damage in the crashes that still occur.
The IIHS tests and rates popular passenger vehicles as well as a number of consumer products such as child car booster seats.
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