Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In additio ....Protecting Occupants in Vehicle Rollover Crashes. This project addresses a public health issue involving rollover crashes. It will help prevent 340 deaths, 6000 injuries and save $3.6 billion annually in Australia and many fold this number internationally. A dynamic rollover crashworthiness test protocol, that ensures efficient and economical vehicle rollover protection systems are designed and manufactured, will be provided to consumer and regulatory bodies to consider and implement. In addition, much needed Occupational Health & Safety information regarding vehicle rollover crashworthiness, which provide a safe work place environment for professional drivers and employees using vehicles, will be supplied to industry fleet managers, defence and emergency services.Read moreRead less
Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicl ....Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicle crashes and will identify cost-effective strategies to reduce the growing economic burden associated with these crashes.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness and appropriateness of child restraints. This project aims to provide a definitive picture of the use, misuse and inappropriate use of child restraints in motor vehicles. It will evaluate the biomechanical and size deficiencies of current child restraints for the current population of children, and the implications for increased injury associated with these factors. This will provide a solid evidence base for improved child restraint design, education, and legislative changes.
Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is importa ....Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is important that Australians are provided with optimal helmets. The specification of product standards is also relevant for international trade agreements. Read moreRead less
Occupant Protection in Far-side Crashes. Regulations and interventions to protect far-side occupants in side impact crashes do not currently exist, even though far-side occupants account for up to 40% of harm in real world side impact crashes. Through a comprehensive test schedule this research will develop an understanding of occupant biomechanics and injury mechanisms during far-side collisions. Current dummy bio-fidelity can then be assessed and improved, appropriate far-side test measures d ....Occupant Protection in Far-side Crashes. Regulations and interventions to protect far-side occupants in side impact crashes do not currently exist, even though far-side occupants account for up to 40% of harm in real world side impact crashes. Through a comprehensive test schedule this research will develop an understanding of occupant biomechanics and injury mechanisms during far-side collisions. Current dummy bio-fidelity can then be assessed and improved, appropriate far-side test measures developed, and recommendation for regulations made. It is anticipated that application of these test procedures will allow the development of innovative and world-leading far-side countermeasures that will ultimately improve vehicle occupant safety.Read moreRead less
Advanced control and estimation strategies for electromechanical brake-by-wire systems. The project aims to investigate the application of advanced control and estimation techniques (robust nonlinear and soft-computing approaches) to the problem of maximising the effectiveness of electromechanical brake-by-wire systems in emergency braking manoeuvres. The work will be conducted using state-of-the-art control design and hardware-in-the loop simulation facilities in the Research Centre for Advance ....Advanced control and estimation strategies for electromechanical brake-by-wire systems. The project aims to investigate the application of advanced control and estimation techniques (robust nonlinear and soft-computing approaches) to the problem of maximising the effectiveness of electromechanical brake-by-wire systems in emergency braking manoeuvres. The work will be conducted using state-of-the-art control design and hardware-in-the loop simulation facilities in the Research Centre for Advanced By-Wire Technologies (RABiT), which has been established to accelerate the development and commercialisation of by-wire technology in Australia. Expected outcomes are actuator and road friction control algorithms which have been demonstrated to be robust in the context of real-world actuator and vehicle dynamics.Read moreRead less
Optimising protection for motor vehicle rear seat occupants. Road trauma is a leading cause of death and disability for Australians under 45 years of age. Recent technological advances in vehicle safety have focussed on drivers and front seat passengers, leaving the rear seat lagging behind. This project will adress gaps in protection for rear seat passengers, including increasing correct use of child restraints for young passengers from non-English speaking families, and evaluating new and exis ....Optimising protection for motor vehicle rear seat occupants. Road trauma is a leading cause of death and disability for Australians under 45 years of age. Recent technological advances in vehicle safety have focussed on drivers and front seat passengers, leaving the rear seat lagging behind. This project will adress gaps in protection for rear seat passengers, including increasing correct use of child restraints for young passengers from non-English speaking families, and evaluating new and existing technologies for older passengers.Read moreRead less
The influence of visible traffic enforcement on the incidence of other crime: Implications for intelligence-driven crime prevention. This project marks the first scientific investigation in Australia examining the potential for visible traffic enforcement to reduce other crime. It will: (i) examine the effect of routine traffic enforcement [deployed via traffic specific intellegence] on general crime rates (study 1); and (ii) determine whether the targeting of visible enforcement at crime "hots ....The influence of visible traffic enforcement on the incidence of other crime: Implications for intelligence-driven crime prevention. This project marks the first scientific investigation in Australia examining the potential for visible traffic enforcement to reduce other crime. It will: (i) examine the effect of routine traffic enforcement [deployed via traffic specific intellegence] on general crime rates (study 1); and (ii) determine whether the targeting of visible enforcement at crime "hotspots" can heighten this effect (study 2). The results of the studies will be examined in light of relevent theoretical perspectives pertaining to crime prevention, such as "broken windows" and deterence theories. The research complements a national move to increase intelligence-driven enforcement activities and will inform policing policy and crime prevention strategies worldwide.Read moreRead less
Improving child safety in cars. This study aims to reduce the number of children killed and injured as passengers in car crashes. These deaths and injuries currently impose huge social and emotional costs on the community and the families involved. Any injury will compromise child health and development, and many result in temporary or long-term disability and care needs. From an economic viewpoint alone, child passenger fatalities and injuries have been conservatively estimated to cost in ex ....Improving child safety in cars. This study aims to reduce the number of children killed and injured as passengers in car crashes. These deaths and injuries currently impose huge social and emotional costs on the community and the families involved. Any injury will compromise child health and development, and many result in temporary or long-term disability and care needs. From an economic viewpoint alone, child passenger fatalities and injuries have been conservatively estimated to cost in excess of $400 million per year. Thus, this research will contribute to both social and economic savings and contribute to better health outcomes for the nation's childrenRead moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883093
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$285,000.00
Summary
A Haptically enabled Universal Motion Simulator Research Facility. The proposed universal motion simulator research facility will enable to develop a better understanding of issues involved in ergonomic and safe vehicle designs and provides opportunities to improve Australia's international competitiveness and economic sustainability through innovations in the manufacturing and transport sectors. This universal motion simulator will provide opportunity to extend our understanding of operator con ....A Haptically enabled Universal Motion Simulator Research Facility. The proposed universal motion simulator research facility will enable to develop a better understanding of issues involved in ergonomic and safe vehicle designs and provides opportunities to improve Australia's international competitiveness and economic sustainability through innovations in the manufacturing and transport sectors. This universal motion simulator will provide opportunity to extend our understanding of operator controlled devices, such as cars and mining machinery, and to develop effective strategies to reduce the risk of vehicle accidents.Read moreRead less