Axon at the ITAI Crash Test & Research Day 2026, Upper Heyford Airfield
Axon Telematics returned to the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators' annual Crash Test & Research Day at Upper Heyford Airfield — putting the latest Teltonika FT platform devices through their paces in real-world collision scenarios to capture higher-resolution crash data than ever before.
Axon Telematics was once again proud to participate in the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators (ITAI) Crash Test & Research Day, held at the historic Upper Heyford Airfield in Oxfordshire. This annual event has become one of the most valuable days in our research and development calendar — and this year's edition was arguably the most technically significant we have attended.
Why This Event Matters
Understanding how telematics devices behave in real crash scenarios is not something that can be replicated in a lab. The ITAI Crash Test & Research Day provides a controlled yet authentic environment where researchers, investigators, insurers, and technology providers can witness and measure genuine collision dynamics — from low-speed urban impacts to high-speed motorway-type collisions.
For Axon, participation in this event is a long-standing commitment. Over the many years we have attended, the data gathered has directly informed how we calibrate crash detection algorithms, fine-tune first notification of loss (FNOL) triggers, and validate the accuracy of our event reconstruction capabilities. Real crashes behave differently from simulated ones — the forces are more complex, the sensor responses more nuanced — and that real-world grounding is irreplaceable.
Testing the Teltonika FT Platform
This year's event gave us the opportunity to put a host of new devices from the Teltonika FT platform through a comprehensive real-world evaluation. The FT series represents a significant step forward in hardware capability, and we were eager to see how its performance held up under genuine crash conditions.
Key areas of focus included:
Higher-Resolution Crash Data — The FT platform's accelerometer and gyroscope sensors operate at significantly higher sampling rates than previous generations. In crash scenarios, this translates to far more granular data capture across the collision event — allowing us to reconstruct not just that a crash occurred, but precisely how it unfolded: the pre-impact trajectory, peak G-force vectors, rotational dynamics, and post-impact movement.
New Sensor Arrays — The devices feature expanded sensor configurations that open up new possibilities for crash severity classification and occupant safety inference. We tested their response across a range of impact types and angles, assessing consistency and reliability.
FNOL Accuracy & Latency — One of our primary metrics is how quickly and accurately a device identifies a genuine crash and transmits an alert. The FT platform showed excellent performance in this regard, with faster trigger response and fewer false negatives compared to earlier hardware generations.
Device Resilience — Physical robustness matters. A device that is dislodged or damaged in the crash itself provides no data when it is needed most. We assessed retention, mounting integrity, and continued operation across multiple impact scenarios.
What the Data Tells Us
The volume and quality of crash data captured during the day was exceptional. The higher-resolution output from the FT devices gives our data science and engineering teams far more to work with when refining our crash detection models. Patterns that were previously difficult to distinguish — such as differentiating between a genuine low-speed collision and a harsh braking event — become much clearer at higher sampling resolution.
This directly benefits our insurance clients. More accurate crash detection means fewer missed FNOL events, more precise severity scoring, and richer evidence for claims investigation and fraud detection.
A Collaborative Research Environment
Beyond our own testing programme, the ITAI event is valuable for the broader conversations it facilitates. Sharing observations with forensic collision investigators, vehicle dynamics researchers, and fellow telematics professionals creates a cross-disciplinary perspective that shapes our thinking long after the day itself.
The ITAI community brings together some of the most rigorous analytical minds in the field of road traffic collision investigation. Engaging with that expertise — and subjecting our technology to scrutiny in a genuine research context — keeps us honest and keeps our platform sharp.
Looking Ahead
The findings from Upper Heyford will feed directly into our ongoing development roadmap. The Teltonika FT platform has demonstrated clear capability advantages that we intend to leverage across new and existing client programmes. As we integrate these devices into the Axon platform, the higher-resolution crash data pipeline will be available to all clients who adopt FT-series hardware.
We look forward to sharing more detailed technical insights from this year's testing in the coming months.
If you would like to discuss how Axon's crash detection capabilities can support your insurance or fleet telematics programme, we'd be glad to talk.
Get in touch with the Axon team →
— The Axon Telematics Team