Current Research

CASR is currently involved in many important research projects. Details of selected projects are given below:

Medical conditions in crash causation

In 2008 CASR commenced a project to examine the extent to which medical conditions contributed to crash causation in a representative sample. The primary aim of this study is to determine the proportion of casualty crashes resulting in treatment or admission to hospital that can be associated with the effects of a medical condition or an acute medical event. The study involves examination of the medical records for all drivers, riders, pedestrians and cyclists involved in motor vehicle collisions on public roads in South Australia who present to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) over a three year period, between January 2008 and December 2010.

The medical records are matched with a number of other data sources including Vehicle Collision Records (VCR's) generated from SAPOL, Traffic Accident Reporting System (TARS), licensing records from the SA Department of Motor Registration and drug and alcohol screening records generated by the Forensic Science Centre of South Australia. This detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding each person's involvement in a crash enables identification of those crashes that are directly related to medical conditions, as opposed to those for which a crash participant's pre-existing medical conditions are unrelated.

For more information please contact
Tori Lindsay
tori@casr.adelaide.edu.au

On-road observational survey of restraint and child restraint use, 2009

On-road observational restraint use surveys provide a valuable means of obtaining information on the current level of restraint use and on the characteristics (vehicle, occupant, location) of non-use of restraints. Several observational surveys of restraint use in passenger vehicles have been conducted in South Australia between 1998 and 2002. The last survey reported that restraint usage was at least 95% in both metropolitan Adelaide and five selected rural areas. This research presents the results of a new on-road observational survey undertaken by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research for the Department for Transport, Energy, and Infrastructure in March 2009 to determine if restraint use has been sustained at the high levels observed in previously surveyed areas. Trained field observers recorded the vehicle type, plates displayed on the vehicle, and the seating position, gender and restraint use of vehicle occupants including the uses and types of any child restraints. For the first time in this series of surveys, restraint use was observed on weekends in addition to weekdays. Findings from this survey might assist in the development of restraint use publicity campaigns and the monitoring of their effectiveness.

For more information please contact
Lisa Wundersitz
lisa@casr.adelaide.edu.au

Performance indicators of enforced driver behaviours

CASR is commissioned by DTEI to produce an annual report quantifying performance indicators for selected enforced behaviours (drink driving, drug driving, speeding and restraint use) in South Australia. These annual reports are used to inform policy and develop strategies. The drink driving section includes data concerning the number of random breath tests conducted, the percentage of licensed drivers tested, the number of drink drivers detected, the number of drink drivers detected using random breath testing, blood alcohol levels of seriously and fatally injured drivers and riders, roadside drink driving surveys, and expenditure on anti-drink driving publicity. The most recent report has a section on drug driving that includes data on the number of random drug tests, number of positive drug detections, number of fatally injured drivers positive for drugs and expenditure on anti-drug driving publicity. The speeding section provides data concerning the number of hours of speed detection, the number of drivers detected speeding, speeding detection rates, the extent of excessive speed as the apparent error in serious and fatal crashes, on-road speed surveys, and expenditure on anti-speeding publicity. The restraint use section provides data concerning levels of restraint use enforcement, restraint non-use offences, restraint use by vehicle occupants in serious and fatal crashes, on-road observational restraint use surveys, and expenditure on restraint use publicity. For some categories of information, comparisons are made with interstate jurisdictions.

For more information please contact
Lisa Wundersitz
lisa@casr.adelaide.edu.au