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 Metadata only A causal model of crash test pulses: effect of impact speed on deformation and other variables(Taylor & Francis, 2016) Hutchinson, T.Consider crash tests in which a car strikes a solid block. Suppose there is a particular differential equation (that includes a term in deformation to the power n) relating acceleration at any instant to deformation and velocity at that moment. If that is the case, the dependencies on impact speed of maximum acceleration, duration of impact and deformation are interconnected: the relationships are power functions, and the exponents are all determined by the exponent n in the differential equation. Data from both tests and real crashes suggest that n is about 0.5 for front wheel drive cars.Item Open Access A comparison of the pedestrian passive safety performance of the new vehicle fleet in Australia, France and the United Kingdom(Victorian Dept of Justice, 2007) Ponte, G.; Anderson, R.; Searson, D.; Australian Road Safety Research Policing and Education Conference (2007 : Melbourne, Australia); William Gibbons,; Centre for Automotive Safety ResearchImprovements to frontal vehicle design can improve a pedestrian's chance of survival in a collision but there are no design rules pertaining to pedestrian protection in Australia. Some overseas regulators are mandating a minimum level of pedestrian safety, and one consequence of this might be a flow of safer designs into the Australian vehicle fleet. To assess this, the distribution of pedestrian safety performance in the new car fleet of Australia was compared to those of France and the United Kingdom. A greater proportion of new passenger vehicles rated less than 2-stars for pedestrian safety by Euro NCAP and ANCAP are sold in Australia than in France and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the portion of the new car fleet in France and the United Kingdom assessed by Euro NCAP/ANCAP since the beginning of 2006 has shown significant improvement and has a larger proportion of better performing vehicles than the equivalent segment of the Australian new car fleet. This period corresponds with the introduction of vehicle pedestrian safety requirements in Europe.Item Metadata only A comparison of uncontrolled, give way sign controlled and stop sign controlled intersections in South Australia(Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2022) Stokes, C.; Woolley, J.E.; This research was funded via a deed with the South Australian GovernmentThe Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) has undertaken study to compare uncontrolled, give way and stop sign controlled intersections as used in South Australia. The answers to two basic questions are desired: is more control justified if safety is impaired; and do road users differentiate by the type of control employed? The use of different levels of control was investigated through a literature review, analysis of in-depth crash investigation files and a survey of road users in South Australia. There appears to be some benefit to the use of greater control but the reasons behind this are unknown. The survey results also suggest a residual of road users are confused and prone to error at controlled and uncontrolled intersections. Recommendations to help remedy this issue include adding redundancy at intersections through the use of Safe System design principles, controlling all uncontrolled T-junctions and upgrading superseded intersection advanced warning signs.Item Metadata only A computational software tool for the minimization of costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with water distribution systems(Elsevier, 2015) Stokes, C.; Simpson, A.; Maier, H.Abstract not availableItem Metadata only A follow-up evaluation of the 50km/h Default Urban Speed Limit in South Australia(Victorian Dept of Justice, 2007) Kloeden, C.; Woolley, J.; McLean, A.; Australian Road Safety Research Policing and Education Conference (2007 : Melbourne, Australia); William Gibbons,; Centre for Automotive Safety ResearchOn the 1st March 2003 the Default Urban Speed Limit (DUSL) in South Australia was lowered from 60 km/h to 50 km/h. Since this date, all urban roads have a speed limit of 50 km/h unless otherwise signed. An initial evaluation one year after the change showed that vehicle speeds and crashes had reduced on local roads with the 50 km/h limit and also on arterial roads that were signposted at 60 km/h. This paper reports the results of a follow up evaluation three years after the DUSL was introduced. Vehicles speeds were measured at the same 52 randomly chosen sites across the State. On-road speeds just before the default limit was introduced were compared with speeds measured one and three years later. Crash data was analysed by examining the crash history of all roads with a 50 km/h or 60 km/h speed limit, three years before and after the new DUSL was introduced. The study found that, on average, mean speeds had fallen by approximately 3.8 km/h on streets where the speed limit was reduced and by 2.1 km/h on arterial roads where 60 km/h speed limit signs were erected. There was a 23% reduction in casualty crashes on 50 km/h roads and a corresponding 16% reduction on 60 km/h arterial roads.Item Metadata only A GPS-based examination of the mobility and exposure to risk of older drivers from rural and urban areas(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2015) Thompson, J.; Baldock, M.; Mathias, J.; Wundersitz, L.This study examines whether older rural drivers are restricted in their driving mobility and are exposed to more risk when driving than older urban drivers. Participants (aged >= 75 years) from rural (n = 28) and urban (n = 28) areas of South Australia were monitored using GPS devices and telephone-based travel diaries. The rural and urban participants did not differ in the number of trips that they made for discretionary or non-discretionary activities. However, while rural participants were exposed to fewer intersections (potential conflict points) in their driving than urban older drivers, they drove further and for longer periods on roads with speed limits of 100 km/h or higher, and at GPS-measured speeds of 100 km/h or faster. Therefore, they are not less mobile but have a higher exposure to road conditions that are more likely to lead to serious and fatal injuries in a crash.Item Metadata only A head impact model of early axonal injury in the sheep(MARY ANN LIEBERT INC PUBL, 1996) Lewis, S.; Finnie, J.; Blumbergs, P.; Scott, G.; Manavis, J.; Brown, C.; Reilly, P.; Jones, N.; McLean, J.Axonal injury (AI), one of the principal determinants of clinical outcome after head injury, may evolve over several hours after injury, raising the future possibility of therapeutic intervention during this period. A new head impact model of AI in sheep was developed to examine pathological and physiological changes in the brain resulting from a graded traumatic insult. In this preliminary study 10 anesthetized and ventilated Merino ewes were used. Head injury was produced by impact from a humane stunner to the temporal region of an unrestrained head. Eight sheep were studied for 1, 2, 4, or 6 h after impact. Two sham animals (no impact, 6 h survival) were also examined. Arterial blood pressure, intracranial pressure, and cerebral blood flow were monitored continuously. A physiological index of injury severity was calculated by weighting the percentage shift from preinjury values for each monitored parameter over the first hour after injury. Immunostaining with amyloid precursor protein (APP) was used as a marker of axonal damage and the distribution of APP positive axons was recorded according to a sector scoring method (APPS). Widespread AI was identified in 7 of the 8 impacted animals, around cerebral contusions and in hemispheric white matter, central gray matter, brain stem, and cerebellum, and was detected as early as 1 h after injury. The degree of axonal injury (APPS) correlated well with an index of physiological response to injury (r = 0.83, p = 0.005).Item Metadata only A method for intra-experimental validation of head impact acceleration measurements(Elsevier, 2007) Anderson, R.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)Methods of measuring head kinematics during short duration impacts include the so-called 3-2-2-2 method [1]. The method uses an array of linear accelerometers to estimate linear and angular acceleration of the head. The use of these and similar arrays in PMHS and animal models can be problematic because non-rigid effects can drastically affect the measurement of angular acceleration [2]. Problems include non-rigid attachment of the array to the head. One must also consider whether or not the rigid body is actually rigid, and to what extent the surface to which the array is attached is likely to exhibit non-rigid behaviour [3]. However, if the acceleration of a rigid body is known, the acceleration at any point on the rigid body can be calculated. Therefore it is possible to quantify the validity of the acceleration measurement using the output of one or more reference accelerometers. An accelerometer placed on the skull can record the acceleration experienced by a single point on the head during the impact. The output of the array can be used to predict the acceleration of that point. The degree of correlation between the prediction of the array and the acceleration measured by the reference accelerometer provides a statistical measure of the validity of the acceleration measurement in any given impact. If the predicted and measured acceleration correlate well, one can have increased confidence that the array successfully measured the rigid body motion of the head.Item Metadata only A method of constructing models of reaction to an imminent road crash(Gale Group, 2016) Hutchinson, T.A model for emergency reaction of a vehicle (or its driver) to an obstacle ahead helps us to understand, predict, and calculate. This paper suggests how alternative models can be constructed. the basis is specification of (1) a small number of states of the vehicle (e.g., normal driving, braking, stationary), (2) rules for transitioning between states, and (3) a dependent variable (e.g., impact speed). The rules will include one or more parameters that are characteristic of the vehicle (or driver), and which need to be estimated by testing. The models generated are intended for application in, for example, interpreting the results of testing a vehicle equipped with an AEB (autonomous emergency braking) system--in particular, in inferring what would happen in conditions (e.g., challenge distances and travelling speeds) that are not directly tested.Item Metadata only A method of estimating linear and angular accelerations in head impacts to pedestrians(PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 1994) Vilenius, A.; Ryan, G.; Kloeden, C.; McLean, J.; Dolinis, J.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)In order to investigate the relationship between impact to the head and brain injury, we have developed a method, using information obtained from reconstruction of the collisions, of estimating the peak linear and angular accelerations of the head for pedestrian impacts on a vehicle. This information includes the location of the impact on the head, the impact velocity of the head, and the stiffness of the struck surface. In developing the method we assumed that the velocity of the head on striking the vehicle was the same as the velocity of the vehicle itself, that the force vector was normal to the surface of the skull, that the force-deflection curve characterising the combined response of the impacted surfaces was linear, and that the kinetic energy of the head immediately prior to impact was converted into strain energy in deforming the head and the vehicle structure. Only the loading phase of the impact was considered, there was no assumption of an elastic unloading phase. Using cadavers, the validity of these assumptions and hence the usefulness of the method were tested by comparing the estimates of peak linear acceleration with the results of 18 pedestrian-vehicle impact reconstructions. On average, the method underestimated the experimental values by about 15%, with a range of +/- 35%. The results from the application of this method are currently being used to study the relationship between the magnitude and direction of the impact to the head and the distribution and severity of the brain injury resulting from actual collisions.Item Metadata only A Microsimulation Model of Truck Speeds on Grades(CD-ROM, 2002) Fry, J.; Woolley, J.; Taylor, M.; Canadian Society for Civil Engineers. Annual Conference (30th : 2002 : Montreal, Canada)A microsimulation model of acceleration and speed for five vehicle classes on upgrades and downgrades is presented in this paper. Special emphasis is placed upon the interaction of b-double trucks with other vehicles in the traffic stream. A review of existing literature reveals several common findings in previous research, which are used as the basis of the model. The details of necessary calculations involved in the modeling process are shown along with the required background constants. A speed profile of b-doubles on upgrades up to ten per cent is shown. Finally a preliminary study of the effect of replacing semi-trailers with b-doubles in the traffic stream is presented. It is concluded that changing the ratio of b-doubles to semi-trailers under isolated gradient effects does not significantly alter the mean travel times of the entire traffic stream.Item Metadata only A model for determining injury risk on the basis of impact speed(IRCOBI, 2014) Gockowiak, K.; Anderson, R.; Searson, D.; International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) (10 Sep 2014 - 12 Sep 2014 : Berlin, Germany)This paper discusses a model that estimates the effect of a change in impact velocity on vehicle impact response. The motivation of the study is to develop a model that will be able to predict occupant injury risk over a range of speeds based on performance in standard crash tests. The model comprises a tipped equivalent square wave (TESW) acceleration pulse to model the vehicle acceleration that is dependent on impact speed. The model was used to analyse data from five full‐width rigid‐barrier impact testing carried out at five speeds. Analyses were selected to investigate the relationship between impact speed, vehicle dynamic crush and mean impact acceleration. The results suggest that it is possible to model vehicle impact response (specifically the magnitude of dynamic crush and mean vehicle impact acceleration) using a bi‐linear, impactvelocity‐ dependent relationship, based on a limited number of crash tests. Models such as these may provide a means of integrating assessment of vehicle crashworthiness with the assessment of primary safety technologies designed to reduce the speed of crashes.Item Metadata only A model for determining injury risk on the basis of impact speed, using vehicle data from variable-speed impact tests(International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury, 2014) Gockowiak, K.; Anderson, R.; Searson, D.; International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) (10 Sep 2014 - 12 Sep 2014 : Berlin, Germany)This paper discusses a model that estimates the effect of a change in impact velocity on vehicle impact response. The motivation of the study is to develop a model that will be able to predict occupant injury risk over a range of speeds based on performance in standard crash tests. The model comprises a tipped equivalent square wave (TESW) acceleration pulse to model the vehicle acceleration that is dependent on impact speed. The model was used to analyse data from five full‐width rigid‐barrier impact testing carried out at five speeds. Analyses were selected to investigate the relationship between impact speed, vehicle dynamic crush and mean impact acceleration. The results suggest that it is possible to model vehicle impact response (specifically the magnitude of dynamic crush and mean vehicle impact acceleration) using a bi‐linear, impactvelocity‐ dependent relationship, based on a limited number of crash tests. Models such as these may provide a means of integrating assessment of vehicle crashworthiness with the assessment of primary safety technologies designed to reduce the speed of crashes.Item Metadata only A new strategy is an opportunity for leadership(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2009) Lydon, M.Item Metadata only A notation for the structure of cognitive processes, with application to patterns of verb-processing impairment(Psychology Press, 2003) Hutchinson, T.A method is proposed for processing datasets that show whether or not each of several patients was impaired on each of several tests, and expressing conclusions about them. Its advantages are that (1) results from the patterns of impairment alone are shown, uninfluenced by theories, previous empirical work, knowledge of lesions, or ideas about what the tests are really testing, and (2) the presentation to the reader is briefer and clearer than a narrative account. The method is applied to data on the patterns of impairment of 30 subjects on six tests, each requiring the processing of verbs (Kemmerer et al., Language and Cognitive Processes , 2001). A new interpretation of this dataset is given, in terms of a set of three systems, all of which are essential. These systems resemble three of those that Kemmerer et al. hypothesised that the six tests might utilise.Item Metadata only A novel low-cost Safe System-aligned treatment for regional and remote intersections(Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2023) Mongiardini, M.; Stokes, C.; This project was funded through the Australian Government’s Road Safety Innovation Fund (RSIF) program, administered by the Office of Road Safety (Project Number RSIF2-74). In-kind support was also provided by the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT).An intersection active warning system aiming to improve vehicle safety at intersections has been developed and trialled. This system, named RJAWS Lite, is an advisory variation of the existing mandatory-speed based RJAWS and provides two major visual warnings: (i) speed advisory on major approaches and (ii) run-through prevention on the minor approach. A controlled before-after analysis conducted on speed data from a trial at six rural intersections in South Australia indicates that RJAWS Lite can provide substantial safety benefits, albeit to a lesser degree than the full version of the RJAWS. Nonetheless, the RJAWS Lite involves considerably lower equipment and installation costs, combined with less restrictive regulations, than the mandatory full version of the RJAWS and so could be expected to be suitable for more widespread installation, which could therefore effectively increase road safety at a larger number of rural junctions. Future streamlining of the current large billboard-style RJAWS signage may likely contribute to improve driver compliance with the advised speed and therefore further increase the predicted safety benefits.Item Metadata only A pilot study of cyclist conspicuity(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2012) Raftery, S.; Grigo, J.; Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference (2012 : Wellington, NZ)Cyclist conspicuity has been identified as an important safety issue for cyclists, particularly with regard to drivers’ detection of cyclists. The aim of this research was to obtain information regarding the conspicuity of cyclists through the development and pilot testing of an observational methodology. Roadside observations were undertaken at four sites selected to capture cyclists commuting to the Adelaide CBD. Observations were undertaken once at each site with two sites capturing cyclists during the peak morning commuting period (between 8-9:30am) and two sites capturing cyclists travelling during the peak afternoon commuting period (between 4-6pm). Observers recorded information regarding cyclists use of available infrastructure, bicycle type, sex, estimated age, bicycle light use, helmet use, clothing type, frontal conspicuity, and rear conspicuity. The methodology proved suitable for the purpose of data collection although some modifications or improvements were identified. A total of 526 cyclists (78% male) were observed, the majority of whom were aged in the estimated range of 30-59 years. With regard to conspicuity 45% of cyclists were found to have high frontal conspicuity due to conspicuous clothing (39%) or the use of a high-visibility vest (6%), while findings with regard to rear conspicuity were much less favourable – 79% of cyclists were identified as having low rear conspicuity. Furthermore, over half (54%) of those cyclists identified as having high frontal conspicuity were found to have their (what should have been high) rear conspicuity obscured due to the use of backpacks or incorrectly worn high-visibility vests. The influence of cyclists’ characteristics are investigated further and the implications of these findings for cyclist safety and possibilities for future research are discussed.Item Metadata only A Possible Explanation of Statistical Interaction, With Application to the Effects of Soluble Thrombomodulin and Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 on Coronary Heart Disease(Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003) Hutchinson, T.Item Metadata only A program for monitoring vehicle speeds in South Australia(RTA New South Wales, 2009) Kloeden, C.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing & Education Conference (2009 : Sydney, Australia)A program designed to monitor the speed behaviour of motorists commenced at 132 sites in South Australia in 2007. The sites selected included sites with historical measurements supplemented by new sites to give a broad range of road types. Individual speed and vehicle classification data was collected for one week on local, collector and arterial roads in metropolitan and rural areas. Surveys on a subset of 52 roads in built up areas conducted to evaluate the impact of the 50 km/h Default Urban Speed Limit were used to monitor trends dating back to 2002. The 132 sites measured in 2007 established a benchmark more representative of the road network as a whole. The paper discusses some initial comparisons with previous datasets and general points of interest in mass speed datasets from a road safety research perspective.Item Metadata only A review of pedestrian facilities(Office of Road Safety, SA Department of Transport, 1995) Moore, V.; McLean, J.; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)