Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)
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The Centre for Automative Safety Research (formerly the Road Accident Research Unit) conducts high quality independent research that enables rational decision making, leading to reductions in the human and economic losses from road crashes.
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Centre for Automotive
Safety Research
The University of Adelaide
SA 5005
AUSTRALIA
Email: casr@adelaide.edu.au
Tel: +61 8 8313 5997
Fax: +61 8 8232 4995
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Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 5: Commercial vehicle accidents(Road Accident Research Unit, 1979) McLean, Jack; Aust, H. S.; Sandow, B. L.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report deals with accidents involving trucks, vans, buses and multi-purpose vehicles, not all of which were being used as commercial vehicles. There were relatively few single vehicle accidents, apart from those involving pedestrians, and the reluctance of semitrailer drivers to brake hard at s~gnalisedin tersections and insecure loads of some heavy vehicles distinguished these accidents from those involving only passenger cars. All but one of the drivers of these commercial vehicles were males, most of whom were aged between 20 and 50 years. None of these drivers were affected by alcohol intoxication to a significant degree, nor was fatigue a factor in any of these accidents. Although none of the commercial vehicle occupants was severely injured, the provision and use of seat belts may have avoided many of the injuries which did occur. Some multi-purpose passenger vehicles are deficient, when compared to passenger cars, in terms of protecting their occupants from injury in a crash.Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 2: Pedestrian accidents(Road Accident Research Unit, 1979) McLean, Jack; Brewer, N. D.; Sandow, B. L.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains descriptions of the causes and consequences of the pedestrian accidents contained in a representative sample of road traffic accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. Reviews of the relevant characteristics of the pedestrians and drivers, the vehicles, and the road and traffic environment are also included. All but one of these 40 accidents occurred on busy roads. Some measures designed to increase the rate of flow of vehicular traffic are detrimental to the safety of the pedestrian, to the extent that some urban arterial roads are very hazardous for some pedestrians, particularly children and the elderly. The pedestrian was more likely to have been careless, or to have made a mistake, than was the driver, but alcohol intoxication was less apparent as a causal factor in these pedestrian accidents than in other types of accidents covered by this survey. The injuries sustained by the pedestrians were much more likely to be dangerous to life than were the injuries sustained by other road users involved in other types of accident. The front of the striking car, including the upper surface of the bonnet, accounted for more than half of the injuries. A number of possible countermeasures and topics worthy of further investigation are listed at the end of the report.Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 1: An overview(Road Accident Research Unit, 1979) McLean, Jack; Robinson, G. K.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report is a general introduction to, and review of, an in-depth study of road accidents to which an ambulance was called in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. A representative 8% sample, comprising 304 accidents, was investigated in the 12-month period commencing March 23rd 1976. The general aims of this study are presented followed by a detailed description of the sampling procedure which was adopted. The method of operation is then described, and the types of accidents investigated are presented in form of the general characteristics of the accidents and of the drivers, riders, and pedestrians, together with a review of the consequences of these accidents. The major conclusions drawn from the results of the study are described briefly, including the ways in which factors such as alcohol and inexperience affect the safety of road users, the role played by vehicle factors and aspects of the road and traffic environment in accident causation, the main causes of injury to each class of roaduser and the value of helmets and seatbelts. The companion reports on specific aspects of the accidents investigated are listed in the final section.Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 3: Pedal cycle accidents.(Road Accident Research Unit, 1979) McLean, Jack; Brewer, N. D.; Sandow, B. L.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains descriptions of the causes and consequences of the pedal cycle accidents contained in a representative sample of road traffic accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. Reviews of the relevant characteristics of the cyclists and drivers, the vehicles, and the road and traffic environment are also included. One-third of these 22 accidents involved a child cyclist who was riding carelessly on a residential street. The other two-thirds mostly involved adult cyclists on arterial roads, and were a consequence of errors made equally by the cyclists and the drivers. Alcohol intoxication was not a significant factor in any of these accidents. Almost all of the cyclists were injured, and their injuries were often very severe. The front of the striking car caused two-thirds of the severe injuries. A number of possible countermeasures and topics worthy of further investigation are listed at the end of the report.Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 4: Motorcycle accidents(Road Accident Research Unit, 1979) McLean, Jack; Brewer, N. D.; Hall, C. T.; Sandow, B. L.; Tamblyn, P.J.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains descriptions of the causes and consequences of the accidents involving motorcycles in a representative sample of road traffic accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. Reviews of the relevant characteristics of the motorcyclists and drivers, and of the motorcycles, are also included. The role of road and traffic factors is discussed in more detail in a separate report in this series. Sixty-eight, or 22 per cent of the accidents in this survey involved a motorcycle. Most of the riders were young males, many of whom were inexperienced in riding a motorcycle in traffic, and alcohol intoxication was a major factor in those accidents which occurred at night. Few riders were able to make full use of the braking capabilities of their motorcycle in an emergency, and changes are recommended in the method of brake actuation and in motorcycle licence tests. Ninety-six per cent of the motorcyclists were injured. Severe head injuries were less common than were severe injuries to the lower limbs, reflecting the use of effective crash helmets and the high risk of the motorcyclist being struck on the leg in a collision.Item Metadata only Alcohol and the risk of accident involvement(1980) McLean, Jack; Holubowycz, Oksana T.; International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (8th : 1980 : Stockholm, Sweden); Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Alcohol and road accidents in Australia: corroborative population-based evidence(1980) McMichael, Anthony John; McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Alcohol and crashes: identification of relevant factors in this association(Federal Office of Road Safety, Transport and Communications, 1980) McLean, Jack; Holubowycz, Oksana T.; Sandow, B. L.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Alcohol and road safety(1980) McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Evaluation of a road safety program for automotive apprentices(Road Accident Research Unit, 1980) Holubowycz, Oksana T.; McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 7: Road and traffic factors(Road Accident Research Unit, 1980) McLean, Jack; Offler, W.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains a review of those features of the road and traffic environment that were relevant to the causation or consequences of the accidents in a representative sample of accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. The review is presented in the context of descriptions of the accidents in order to demonstrate the interactions between road and traffic factorsand those relating to the vehicles and to the road users. Infringement of a traffic rule was the most common factor but this was often more a description of what happened rather than an adequate explanation. Excessive speed was also a prominent factor, even though the actual speed may have been below the legal limit, in collisions at sign-controlled and uncontrolled intersections. Safe approach speeds to uncontrolled intersections were such that a strong case can be made for the provision of some form of control. Fail-to-stand accidents were the most common type of collision at signalised locations, with auxiliary kerb lanes appearing to exacerbate the problem. Characteristics of the road surface were rarely relevant, possibly because the surface was generally dry and of good quality. Roadside objects played a role in determining the consequences of about one-third of the accidents.Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 8: Summary and recommendations(Road Accident Research Unit, 1981) McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains a summary of the conclusions and recommendations from earlier reports on the causes and consequences of a representative sample of road traffic accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. Brief comments on the study as a whole are included. The abstracts, tables of contents, introductions and conclusions and recommendations from Parts 1 to 7 and 9 and 10 are presented in appendices.Item Metadata only The severity and consequences of injuries in urban traffic accidents(1981) McLean, Jack; International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact (6th : 1981 : Salon de Provence, France); Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)As part of an in-depth accident study, information was collected on the nature and severity of the injuries sustained by all road users involved in a representative sample of accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide during a twelve-month period. The treatment received, duration of hospital stay, period of restricted activity and the characteristics of any residual permanent disability were recorded. These factors are presented in relation to the severity of the injury and discussed with respect to causal mechanisms and possible preventive measures.Item Metadata only Alcohol and traffic safety. Report on a workshop conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Alberta(Road Accident Research Unit, 1981) McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only The social and economic costs of road accidents(American Association for Automotive Medicine, 1981) Somerville, Carolyn; Annual Conference of American Association for Automotive Medicine (25th : 1981 : San Francisco, California); AAAM 1981; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only The cost of road accidents(Road Accident Research Unit, 1981) Somerville, Carolyn J.; McLean, Jack; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Head first? The causes, consequences and relative importance of head injuries in urban crashes(1981) McLean, Jack; Annual Conference of American Association for Automotive Medicine (25th : 1981 : San Francisco, California); AAAM 1981; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Open Access Adelaide in-depth accident study 1975-1979. Part 6: Car accidents.(Road Accident Research Unit, 1981) McLean, Jack; Aust, H. S.; Brewer, N. D.; Sandow, B. L.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)This report contains descriptions of the causes and consequences of the accidents involving cars in a representative sample of road traffic accidents to which an ambulance was called in metropolitan Adelaide. The characteristics of the drivers are reviewed in relation to the causation of these accidents and to accident prevention measures in general and the role of vehicle factors in accident and injury causation is discussed with emphasis on the Australian Design Rules for Motor Vehicle Safety. Two hundred and sixtytwo, or 86 per cent of the accidents in the survey involved one or more cars. Alcohol intoxication and inexperience in driving in traffic were the two characteristics of drivers that were most often obviously related to accident involvement. Vehicle defects played only a minor role. Seat belts were found to reduce the frequency and severity of injury; this was particularly so for the later inertia-reel belts which were also more likely to be worn. Seventy-nine per cent of drivers and 65 per cent of left front passengers wore a seat belt where one was available. Door latches and hinges, seat anchorages, and the steering wheel and instrument panel were either deficient in the crash or otherwise were frequently found to be objects causing injury to the occupants of the car.Item Metadata only Some proven road safety measures for South Australia(Road Accident Research Unit, 1982) Woodward, A.; Somers, R.; McLean, J.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Item Metadata only Traffic accidents and energy consumption(Society of Automotive Engineers, 1982) McLean, Jack; Conference on Traffic, Energy and Emissions (2nd : 1982 : Melbourne, Australia); Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)