A £2million motorway pileup in Scotland – but no humans were harmed in the dummy crash for TV
By STUART MACDONALD FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL
Published: 12:31, 12 June 2025 | Updated: 12:32, 12 June 2025
The world's biggest car crash test has been filmed at a former military base in Scotland for a new Channel 4[1] documentary.
Filmmakers have staged a high speed motorway pileup involving a 30-tonne HGV lorry and eight cars in an attempt to gain new insights into vehicle safety.
The first-of-its-kind experiment took place on a two-mile runway at the former RAF[2] Machrihanish base near Campbeltown, Argyll.
The stunt, estimated to have cost GBP2million, will be shown on Sunday night on Channel 4 show Pile-Up: World's Biggest Crash Test.
Cameras were fitted into eight human-controlled robot cars and the lorry which veers across the central reservation into their path.
Carefully chosen civilian drivers were enlisted to take part in the experiment that gives them control of remote-controlled vehicles.
They were told that the purpose of the experiment was to enhance road safety, but they didn't know the vehicles they were operating remotely would be caught in the middle of a major collision.
After the crash, the drivers examine the cars they controlled and reflect on the realities of what could have happened if they had been behind the wheel, prompting them to reconsider their own driving habits.
A high speed motorway pileup involving an HGV, cars and a caravan was filmed in Scotland to gain new insights into vehicle safety
The stunt, for a new Channel 4 documentary, is the first-of-its-kind experiment, costing an estimated GBP2million and was filmed at a former RAF base near Campbeltown, Argyll
Inside view of on of the cars involved in the experiment featuring robotics, control systems and a crash dummy in the passenger seat
At the same time, accident investigators arrive at the scene with no prior knowledge of what happened. They search for clues and reconstruct the event with the help of a 3-D scan of the aftermath and meticulous forensic detective work.
The findings then go to Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, who study the effects of high-speed impacts away from a traditional lab-based environment, informing the design of future cars to maximise safety.
More than 90 cameras, go-pros and drones captured the crash and black boxes were fitted to the cars to record vehicle data and driver responses.
Crash tests to help inform safer vehicle design usually take place in laboratories but the production team wanted to create a more real-world scenario.
David Twohig, an automotive engineering consultant who was involved in the project, said: 'The beauty of a lab-based crash test is everything is controlled, everything is repeatable.
'But unfortunately, the real world is not a laboratory, and there are many, many variables. It might be the weather conditions.
It might be the friction of the road surface. it might be temperature, humidity, the state of the driver, the mood of the driver.
'So I think that's the limitation of the lab.
It's almost too good.
'The automobile has created a lot of freedom, but we have created this machine which kills people, and we have a duty to try and reduce its impact and improve safety now and in the future.'
The show involved cars including a Toyota Prius, Porsche Boxster, an Audi A8 and a Volkswagen Golf GTI travelling at motorway speed when the lorry crashes into them.
Dan Chambers, executive producer at production company Blink Films, said: 'As we all grapple with the emergence of automated vehicles and what they mean in the years ahead, this reminds us that there's so much more to learn about the human element of driving, which isn't going away anytime soon.
'The insights that this experiment gleans on driver behaviour and vehicle design could very well save lives in the future.'
Pile-Up: World's Biggest Crash Test is on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday