Successful Applicants: 2004 Road Safety Research Grants
A list of successful road safety grant recipients for the Road Research Grant Program 2004.
Mr Michael Fitzharris, Monash University Accident Research Centre
Benefits of ADR69 and Airbags in Australia
This case-control study aims to evaluate the safety benefits of Australian Design Rule (ADR) 69 and frontal airbag systems. Using in-depth real world crash data, injury outcomes and associated cost of injury will be measured with societal benefits being calculated. Strengths of ADR69 and areas requiring improvement will be discussed.
ADR 69 is a performance-based standard which requires vehicle manufacturers to design their Australian passenger models to meet specific injury criteria for a particular crash configuration. The design changes required to meet this regulation were left up to individual manufacturers, but most manufacturers included airbags as part of their new designs. ADR 69 came into effect in July 1995.
Dr Stuart D. Baulk, University of South Australia
Driver Fatigue - Quantifying Impairment
Fatigue-related driving accidents are preventable and may decrease with a systematic fatigue management approach. Such systems are being implemented in many industries, having been validated against laboratory performance tests. This research will measure and compare the effects of fatigue on performance using a simple test of visual reaction time (Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) and an interactive driving simulation task. It will also examine the effects of fatigue on perception of performance and motivation of drivers to continue, and examine the effects of gender on fatigue, driving performance and perception.
Mr Barry Watson, Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, Queensland University of Technology
Rider Risk Assessment Measure
A Rider Risk Assessment Measure (RRAM) will be developed to assess self-reported rider behaviour and intentions, along with the personal, social and environmental factors contributing to unsafe riding practices. This will provide a valuable tool for researching rider behaviour, evaluating rider safety countermeasures and informing rider training and education programs.
Professor Arcady Dyskin, University of Western Australia
Road Safety Barriers Made from Interlocking Blocks of Special Geometry
The project will explore the potential of the novel design principle, called topological interlocking, for road safety barriers with improved failure resistance, energy absorption capacity and reusability. Design recommendations for full-scale barriers will be made on the basis of mechanical tests on scaled physical models supported by dimensional analysis.