Centre for Automotive Safety Research conference papers
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Item Metadata only Safe System for Universities: linking graduate knowledge with industry best practice(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2019) Stokes, C.; Moon, W.; Woolley, J.; Strandroth, J.; Johansson, N.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (25 Sep 2019 - 27 Sep 2019 : Adelaide, Australia); Baldock, M.; Grzebieta, R.Safe System represents long-established best-practice in road safety internationally, in Australia and in New Zealand. However, there has been limited success in implementing Safe System policy into practice. While Safe System theory is taught at some Australian universities, there are currently no consistent means of formal education before professionals enter the workforce, leading to a discrepancy between graduate engineer knowledge and industry best-practice. The Safe System for Universities (SS4U) project provides a means for consistent education of Safe System theory at a tertiary level. SS4U is designed for self-learning and a curriculum and material to teach Safe System within existing courses.Item Metadata only Distraction and Older Drivers: An Emerging Problem?(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2018) Young, K.; Charlton, J.; Koppel, S.; Grzebieta, R.H.; Williamson, A.; Woolley, J.; Senserrick, T.Distracted driving is widely recognised as a significant threat to the safety of all road users. Age-related declines in a range of sensory, cognitive and physical processes can, however, make older drivers particularly vulnerable to risks associated with distraction. While traditionally viewed as a younger driver issue, distracted driving among the older driver cohort is predicted to increase as future generations of older drivers drive more often, and for longer, and embrace technology in increasing numbers. This paper discusses current knowledge regarding why older drivers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of distracted driving and reviews recent research on older driver distraction engagement and its impact on their driving performance. Also presented, is an Australian case study of older driver secondary task engagement using data from the recently completed Australian Naturalistic Driving Study (ANDS). This case study examined patterns of secondary task engagement during everyday trips among 48 older (60+), middle-aged (43-49 years) and young (22-31 years) drivers. The findings suggest that Australian older drivers do engage in a large number of secondary tasks when driving; however, there is evidence that they self-regulate the type and timing of these tasks.Item Metadata only Road user perception of safety at Safe System intersections(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2018) Stokes, C.; Raftery, S.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (3 Oct 2018 - 5 Oct 2018 : Sydney, Australia); Keay, L.; Brown, J.; Grzebieta, R.H.This study examined driver perceptions of safety at metro and regional intersections with different types of control. Data was collected using an on-line survey with 696 participants drawn from the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia’s Member Panel. Results demonstrate a greater perception of safety associated with the use of roundabouts, yet a reduced perception of safety associated with a lesser known Safe System design of raised plateaus. Additionally, the results suggest that there is some confusion about the need to give way to other traffic at traditional controlled and uncontrolled intersections, further supporting the need for Safe System intersection designs.Item Metadata only Safe system learning for tertiary road transport engineering students(Engineers Australia, 2018) Stokes, C.; Moon, W.; Strandroth, J.; Woolley, J.; Johanson, N.; Australasian Association for Engineering Education Conference (AAEE) (9 Dec 2018 - 12 Dec 2018 : Hamilton, New Zealand)Context: The Safe System philosophy, adopted in many countries and underpinning Australian and New Zealand road safety strategy, is best-practice in road safety. However, there remains a general absence of the Safe System approach in many road transport engineering undergraduate courses. Despite being acknowledged as best-practice, little of the Safe System is known by graduating engineers, creating a discrepancy between base graduate knowledge and road safety industry practice which is a problem for industry. Purpose: The aim of this project is to determine the best educational design for disseminating Safe System learnings to tertiary engineering students. This paper will explore the best educational design for: a. Disseminating Safe System moral and ethical principles for all tertiary engineering students particularly in fields where human safety is considered paramount. b. Disseminating Safe System theory and practice for tertiary engineering students focussing on road transport engineering. Approach: Responding to the road transportation industry need to recruit engineers versed in the Safe System, curriculum guidelines and materials are being developed to guide Safe System learning at the tertiary level. Graduate attributes and learning outcomes are developed with input from industry representatives. The approaches to learning and teaching are developed with the assistance of senior teaching academics. Key objectives of the approach are modular topics and material for ease of integration into existing courses; interactive teaching material based on industry knowledge and case studies; and a thematic learning approach. Results: The Safe System for Universities (SS4U) curriculum guideline is being developed as a guideline for the learning and teaching of Safe System ethical and moral principles at an introductory level for first year engineering students, and Safe System theory and practice at a more advanced level for students undertaking study in road transportation engineering. It will provide road transport engineering students with the information needed to critically analyse the discussion and application of Safe System thinking and importantly, to be able to question when it is absent. Furthermore, the broad moral and ethical principles of engineering safety are emphasized to enable engineering students a moral and ethical perspective to the technical and procedural decisions that they will make in their future careers. Conclusions: Through this project, a means for smarter educational design for disseminating Safe System knowledge to student engineers is being developed. The outcome of this dissemination will be graduate engineers able to apply their knowledge of the Safe System to their chosen field of practice to benefit the wider community, and specifically, helping to fulfil a road transport industry need.Item Metadata only Using in-depth accident data to identify limitations when applying crash injury risk curves(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2021) Tyler, W.; Stokes, C.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (28 Sep 2021 - 30 Sep 2021 : Virtual Online); Johnson, M.; Grzebieta, R.H.Injury risk curves outline the relationship between speed and the risk of high severity outcomes for certain crash configurations, and hence are a convenient tool for road infrastructure design practitioners when assessing the safety of certain road designs. However, aggregation of data used to create these risk curves can hide important complexities that limit their usefulness. The aim of this study is to contextualise such risk curves with respect to other determining factors of crash injury severity. In-depth crash investigation data from the Initiative for the Global Harmonisation of Accident Data (IGLAD) database is used to compare the predicted risk of high severity outcomes with actual severity outcomes of crashes. The results of this study suggest that the risk of high severity outcomes was either under- or over-predicted for a substantial proportion of crashes within the database.Item Metadata only Safe System for Universities: Safe System education for tertiary engineering students update(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2021) Stokes, C.; Moon, W.; Johnson, J.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (28 Sep 2021 - 30 Sep 2021 : Virtual Online); Johnson, M.; Grzebieta, R.H.Safe System represents long-established best-practice in road safety internationally and in Australia and New Zealand. However, there has been limited success implementing Safe System policy into practice. While Safe System theory is taught at some Australian universities, there are currently no consistent means of formal education before professionals enter the workforce, leading to a discrepancy between graduate engineer knowledge and industry best-practice. Here, we present an update to the Safe System for Universities (SS4U) project, which provides a means for consistent education of Safe System theory at a tertiary level.Item Metadata only Evaluation of Centreline ATLM along Curves in Mountainous Roads(2022) Mongiardini, M.; Stokes, C.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (28 Sep 2022 - 30 Sep 2022 : Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand)Centreline Audio Tactile Line Marking (ATLM) was installed on a popular narrow road in the Adelaide foothills. A before-after evaluation was conducted to assess the ATLM potential for influencing lane position/crossing and speed along four trial curves. Vehicle lane position and speed at those curves, and between-site travel times were analysed. . Post treatement, all vehicle types tended to safely shift towards the edgeline along right-hand curves. However, variability along left-hand curves existed amongst the four sites. Generally, the treatment did not appear to reduce lane crossing frequency on curves, except at one site. Centreline ATLM did not appear to induce a speed decrease along curves. Nonetheless, a slight reduction of the average travel speed along the treated route may indicate a generalised speed calming effect. The study suggests merit for centreline ATLM along curves regarding lane positioning, but a limited effect on voluntary lane crossing and speed.Item Metadata only Safe system capability development in the context of industry(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2021) Waller, E.; Woolley, J.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (28 Sep 2021 - 30 Sep 2021 : Virtual Online); Johnson, M.The safe system approach underpins Transurban’s road safety strategic framework. To support our capability in road safety, Transurban has implemented regionally based road safety action plans that reflect the safe system pillars. We have also established a road safety community of practice with members drawn from across business functions and, most recently, developed a bespoke safe system professional development program. This presentation will cover the motivation for the program, its development approach, implementation and outcomes.Item Metadata only Evidence-based road safety interventions to prevent regional and remote road trauma(BMJ, 2022) Tan, T.; Wundersitz, L.; Stokes, C.; Beer, K.; Kloeden, C.; Zlatkovic, P.; 14th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety) (27 Nov 2022 - 30 Nov 2022 : The Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide, Australia)Item Metadata only Uncovering driver inattention and distraction in fatal and injury crashes(Université Gustave Eiffel, 2021) Wundersitz, L.; 7th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI) (18 Oct 2021 - 20 Oct 2021 : Lyon, France)Item Metadata only Exploring the prevalence of in-vehicle distraction in moving traffic: An observational study using camera technology(Université Gustave Eiffel, 2021) Ponte, G.; Wundersitz, L.; 7th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI) (18 Oct 2021 - 20 Oct 2021 : Lyon, France)Item Metadata only What happens, and why, in road accidents(Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF), 2022) Hutchinson, T.; Australasian Transport Research Forum (28 Sep 2022 - 30 Sep 2022 : Tonsley, South Australia)This paper suggests how to describe what happens in a road accident, and why. But road accidents as a whole are too varied, and some smaller concept is needed. The strategy here is to select some class of accidents that are similar, split the events of that class of accident into stages, and attempt to understand the stages. (a) The example selected is the class of accident in which a car being driven forwards normally is suddenly faced with an obstacle in front of it. (b) Such accidents are split into three stages. 1, Preceding appearance of the obstacle. 2, From appearance of the obstacle to when the car strikes it (or stops). 3, After first contact is made (but this is not discussed in this paper, as it is reasonably well-understood in principle). (c) For stage 2, a model is proposed that implies an elementary equation for impact speed. The equation involves five quantities, namely, travelling speed, range of sensor, distance of object, reaction time, and braking strength. (d) For stage 1, cause of accident is approached using two questions. Why was the obstacle present? And, if it was present deliberately and because of human error, what was the error? Suggestions are made for classifying the answers. (e) In many of the road accidents with two active participants, one has generated the danger and the other has reacted. If data analysis proceeds without their being disaggregated, it may become difficult to perceive factors and patterns of factors that are relevant to crash causation and outcome. This disaggregation may be particularly useful when one participant is a pedal cyclist.Item Metadata only Workplace safety: a review of best practice for mass media campaigns(ARSC, 2013) Wundersitz, L.; Australasian College of Road Safety Conference (6 Nov 2013 - 8 Nov 2013 : Adelaide, SA)Mass media campaigns can play an important role in promoting safe behavioural practices to a large part of the population. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge regarding best practice for workplace health and safety (WHS) mass media campaign design and evaluation. While this review primarily focused on workplace safety, findings relevant to road safety are highlighted. An industry review was undertaken to investigate the specific role of mass media in promoting WHS issues. Interviews with key personnel involved in WHS communications campaigns provided insights into the processes involved in developing and evaluating mass media campaigns. Australian and international public health literature published during the last decade was also reviewed to examine what elements make a WHS mass media campaign effective and how future campaigns might be enhanced. Recent WHS campaign evaluations were reviewed to highlight current key issues in WHS campaign evaluation research. The paper concludes with some principles for best practice in mass media campaigns promoting safety in the workplace and within the road systemItem Restricted Comparative performance of the Cambridge abrasion machine in different laboratories(Australasian College of Road Safety, 2016) Meredith, L.; Clarke, E.; Fitzharris, M.; Baldock, M.; Hurren, C.; Brown, J.; 2016 Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC 2016) (6 Sep 2016 - 8 Sep 2016 : Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)Motorcycle protective clothing has been well established as an effective means of preventing abrasion injuries to motorcycle riders involved in crashes, yet the performance of this clothing can be variable. The European Standard for motorcycle protective clothing assesses the abrasion resistance quality of motorcycle protective clothing using tightly specified equipment. The absolute time required to abrade a material is reliant on the specifications of the abrasion machine, and it is unknown if measurements taken on machines with different specifications can provide useful information. This study examined the abrasion resistance of materials tested on two different machines built to slightly different specifications. These results confirm machines of different specifications can produce comparable results, and demonstrate capacity to use a non-standard machine to examine comparative performance of materials.Item Restricted Using specialised cyclist detection software to count cyclists and determine cyclist travel speed from video(ACRS, 2014) Ponte, G.; Szpak, Z.; Woolley, J.; Searson, D.; 2014 Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing & Education Conference (ARSRPE 2014) (12 Nov 2014 - 14 Nov 2014 : Melbourne, Vic)The Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT) developed software for post-processing video footage that is capable of detecting, counting and assessing the level of conspicuity of cyclists. The initial version of the software, on average, correctly identified and tracked 69% of cyclists in footage of busy intersections and roundabouts when first trialled. A number of additional trials were conducted to extend the features of the software. The second trial was undertaken to explore the possibility of automating speed detection. The video detection software correlated well with the true cyclist counts and speeds measured by GPS. The third trial involved recording cyclists travelling over specialised bicycle detection counters and measuring their speeds with a laser gun. This enabled a comparison between the counts provided by the video detection software and the counts provided by the closed induction loop counters as well as a comparison of speeds. The final trial involved four real world sites at which video recordings were taken and analysed by an improved version of the software and compared to human observations. The improved version of the software was able to detect 89 to 98% of cyclists. The results indicated good correlation with human observations and demonstrated the feasibility of using readily obtainable video footage to collect objective bicycle data. This paper briefly summarises the development and improvement of the software, details the methods used to obtain the experimental data, present the results and discusses potential future applications of the software and improvements in detection accuracy.Item Metadata only Abrasion resistance performance of clothing worn by Australian motorcyclists(IRCOBI, 2016) Meredith, L.; Hurren, C.; Clarke, E.; Fitzharris, M.; Baldock, M.; De Rome, L.; Olivier, J.; Brown, J.; International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (2016 IRCOBI) (14 Sep 2016 - 16 Sep 2016 : Malaga, Spain)Item Metadata only An estimate of the future road safety benefits of autonomous emergency braking and vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies(ACRS, 2016) Searson, D.; Dutschke, J.; Ponte, G.; Hutchinson, T.; Anderson, R.; Lydon, M.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC) (6 Sep 2016 - 8 Sep 2016 : Canberra, ACT)The aim of this study was to examine the consequences of delaying introduction of new technologies on future reductions in fatalities and serious injuries. This was done specifically for Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications, which represent the two most promising technologies in the short-term and medium-term future. The results demonstrate that a delay in introduction, or a slower rate of introduction, can have a significant effect on how long it takes for the benefits to be realised in the greater vehicle fleet.Item Metadata only An examination of the effectiveness and acceptability of mobile phone blocking technology among drivers of corporate fleet vehicles(ACRS, 2016) Ponte, G.; Baldock, M.R.; Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC2016) (6 Sep 2016 - 8 Sep 2016 : Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)There is technology available that can block mobile phones while driving. The aim of this research was to determine if mobile phone blocking technology is an effective and acceptable method for reducing driver distraction among drivers of corporate fleet vehicles. Two different technologies were assessed: one required software to be installed on mobile phones, while the other technology used software in addition to external Bluetooth hardware that paired with the phones. A sample of 104 study participants who regularly drove a corporate fleet vehicle were recruited through a major corporation in South Australia. Each participant experienced one of the two technologies, and their opinions on the technology and phone use while driving were assessed using pre- and post-trial questionnaires. A majority of participants reported that phone blocking was not reliable but a majority nonetheless considered the technology they trialed to be an effective way of preventing phone use while driving. Mobile phone blocking technologies may provide a useful method of changing mobile phone use behaviour while driving. However, product improvements are needed to reach higher ratings of user acceptance and approval.Item Metadata only Description of pedestrian crashes in accordance with characteristics of Active Safety Systems(International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury, 2014) Hamdane, H.; Serre, T.; Anderson, R.; Masson, C.; Yerpez, J.; International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) (10 Sep 2014 - 12 Sep 2014 : Berlin, Germany)Primary safety systems have been developed for vehicles in order to detect a pedestrian and to avoid or mitigate an impact autonomously. This work aims to estimate the safety potential of six Active Pedestrian Safety Systems (APSS) from a sample of 100 real vehicle/pedestrian crashes provided by in‐depth crash investigation. The accident cases were first reconstructed by emulating the kinematics of the vehicle and the pedestrian. These simulations provided a comprehensive set of data describing the interaction between the vehicle and the pedestrian over a crash sequence. Then, four particular pre‐crash events on the timeline were selected as fields of interest with respect to performance characteristics of APSS. They correspond respectively to 2.5s before the impact, the instant when the pedestrian is visible (pedestrian steps into the field of view of the sensor), the last moment for the vehicle to brake in order to stop before impact and one second before the impact. For each of these instants and for each of the six selected APSS, it was evaluated if the systems could detect the pedestrian according to the different attributes of these systems. Results allow describing the required performance of an APSS and understanding the issues and challenges in pedestrian safety.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.