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Past Chapter Events (ACT)
Safe Sytems Approach and Speeding: CSIRO Discovery Centre -14 October 2009
The ACT Government is working towards a new ten-year Road Safety Strategy, to start in 2011, and like most other Australian jurisdictions, will use the key concepts of the ‘safe systems approach’ and the ‘Vision Zero’ philosophy, as a basis for the new strategy. The ACT Government is also determined to foster a new community culture for road safety, particularly in regard to speeding and drink driving.
Both the ‘Vision Zero’ and the ‘safe system approach’ philosophies accept that people are human and make mistakes; recognise physical and mechanical tolerances; and ask road designers and operators to provide for a much more forgiving system. There is also an underlying shared responsibility for road safety, between all those who design, build, regulate and use our roads.
The seminar sought to explain and disseminate these ideas to both to road safety practitioners and the ACT general public, and show how these concepts can be used in practice to improve road safety – especially in relation to speeding. The seminar will thus be important in engaging interest and support from the ACT community on the development of the new ACT Road Safety Strategy.
The seminar was kindly sponsored by the NRMA- ACT Road Safety Trust.
Eric Howard Presentation – Vision Zero and the Safe Systems Approach, an International Perspective (3958kb)
Eric Howard Presentation – A National Speed Management Strategy (3484kb)
Chris Jurewicz Presentation– ‘Safe Systems’ and Infrastructure (2685) to follow
David Quinlan Presentation – ‘Safe Systems’ Initiatives in the ACT (5003kb)
Rick Freeth Presentation – Safe Systems in the ACT: Safer Drivers (4272kb)
Driver Distraction : 12 December 2008
Canberra was the host of the international launch of the world's first book on driver distraction - Driver Distraction: Theory, Effects and Mitigation on 12 December 2008. The book is the brainchild of Adjunct Professor Michael Regan from the Monash University Accident Research Centre and currently on secondment to the French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research.
The NRMA - ACT Road Safety Trust and the Australasian College of Road Safety joined forces to host the launch at the Botanic Gardens Theatrette. As Dr Angus McIntosh OAM observed while welcoming the forty delegates, it is estimated that up to 23% of crashes and near-crashes are caused by driver distraction. That figure is likely to increase as more and more distractions, both inside and outside the vehicle, compete for driver attention.
Adjunct Professor Regan together with his colleagues Professor John Lee, University of Iowa and Ms Kristie Young, Monash University, have compiled a world-first practical resource for understanding, preventing and managing driver distraction. The forty one international and Australian contributors to the book are experts in the field and it contains practical advice on how to mitigate the effects of distraction - through the implementation of a range of integrated countermeasures.
At the launch, three informative and interesting presentations were delivered by Adjunct Professor Regan and Ms Kristie Young. Some of the key points made included:
• 92% of distractors are things brought into the vehicle;
• Mobile phones and eating/drinking while driving are key distractors; and
• 30% of distractors are outside the vehicle.
The launch created considerable media interest and Adjunct Professor Regan was interviewed by local radio and was a guest on the ABC's high-rating late afternoon Drive program. The presentations are available on the College website at (www.acrs.org.au).
The book has been reviewed by Dr Bob Dewar, a noted international road safety expert, who has commented that "This book is a very thorough treatment of driver distraction, with everything you ever wanted to know about the topic and more. It is one of the most interesting and informative books on traffic safety I have read in some time." He added the book is a must read for anyone interested in the sources, causes and effects of driver distraction and how distraction can be reduced. The book is available through CRC Press, many internet distribution outlets (eg Amazon.com) in libraries, universities and bookshops and costs about $100.
Motorcycle Safety: (Motorcycle Awareness Week ACT 11th to the 17th of October 2008)
On-road cycling: 29th of July 2008
Held on the 29th of July 2008 at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Theatrette , Canberra, from 12 noon to 1.30 pm The seminar discussed the policy and practice of on-road cycling in the ACT, the operational and regulatory implications and the effects on road safety. In relation to the on road cycle lane seminar on 29 July 2008 some 30 people attended. There was a presentation by Pedal Power on the benefits of on road cycle lanes (made motorists more aware of cyclists and the need to share the road, cyclists felt that motorists were more likely to anticipate what cyclists would do). Ron Collis from NRMA Motoring and Services spoke about the organisations concerns about the speed differential being hazardous for cyclists and that lane width, particularly on Northbourne Avenue was a concern. A representative from TAMS gave a presentation from the departments perspective covering engineering aspects. There was lively debate and the consensus was that the seminar was useful in increasing awareness of the range of issues surrounding on road bicycle lanes.
ON ROAD CYCLING IN CANBERRA: 29 July 2008
The ACT & Region Chapter ran a successful seminar on 'On-road Cycling in Canberra' on Tuesday 29 July 2008 at the Australian National Botanic Gardens theatrette. The seminar discussed the policy and practice of on-road cycling in the ACT, the operational and regulatory implications, and the effects on road safety. There were presentations by Roads ACT, Pedal Power and NRMA, (which are on the Chapter's webpage) followed by an open discussion session, with lively involment by the 25 participants.
The presentations on On Road Cycling in Canberra were made by:
Speaking notes can be accessed by clicking on the above dot points.
ACT DRUGS AND DRIVING FORUM: 6 June 2008
Members of the ACT & Region Chapter of ACRS attended a Drugs and Driving Forum on 6 June 2008, at the University of Canberra. The Forum was a part of the ACT Government's review of alcohol and driving laws and provided expert commentary and public discussion on the impact of drugs on driving, random roadside drug testing practice across Australia, and current research into drug driving. The ACT Government's discussion paper on the review is at www.tams.act.gov.au/move.
FIRST AID IN FOCUS :10 April 2008
The ACT & Region Chapter hosted a 'First Aid in Focus' event , in conjunction with St John Ambulance and the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust, on 10 April 2008.
This included the launch of the report First Aid and Harm Minimisation for Victims of Road Trauma: A Population Study, prepared by Flinders University; and the ACT launch of the online First Aid Crash Course developed by St John Ambulance.
This was followed by a one hour seminar on Post-crash Medical Treatment with presentations by Prof Paul Arbon AM, Flinders University, Howard Wren, ACT Ambulance Service, and Assoc Prof Drew Richardson, Chair of Road Trauma and Emergency Medicine at The Canberra Hospital.
OLDER DRIVER SAFETY: 30th October 2006
The Chapter held a seminar on Older Road Users on 30 October 2006. Speakers and presentations were :
- 'Keeping Seniors Safe and Mobile : the US Perspective' Dr Bella Dinh-Zarr, FIA consultant
- 'New Moves for Older Road Users' Mr Robin Anderson, NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Churchill Fellow (presentation is attached)
- 'Older Driver Injuries in the ACT' Assoc Prof Drew Richardson, Chair of Road Trauma and Emergency Medicine at The Canberra Hospital
- 'Assessing and Managing Older Driver Crash Risk' Mr Jim Langford, MUARC
- 'COTA-ACT Road Safety Needs Analysis' Mr Allan Brownsdon, COTA ACT
Friday 21 October 2005: Road Safety Initiatives Seminar
11am to 3.30pm at the CSIRO Discovery Centre, Clunies Ross St, Black Mountain, ACT.
Special Guest Speaker was : Professor Claes Tingvall. Head, Swedish National Road Agency and Chair of EuroNCAP speaking on 'European Road Safety Developments'.
Other speakers: Mr Joe Motha, General Manager. Safety Research and Education, ATSB (National Road Safety Strategy Update); Mr John Metcalfe, Director Research and Policy, AAA (The Australian Road Assessment Program); A/Prof Drew Richardson, NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust Chair of Road Trauma and Emergency Medicine (Road Crashes in the ACT); Mr John Bonnet, former Road Safety Research Officer (The MASTERS Motorcycle Program), Federal Office of Road Safety; Mr Daryl Smeaton, CEO Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (Drink Driving - the RADD Program); and Supt. Michael Chew and D.S Daryl Neit on 'Trends and Developments - an Enforcement Perspective'.
Cross Border Road Safety Initiatives Seminar 12 May 2005
The goals of the seminar were to:
- Inform the community about the recent NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust commissioned report by the ARRB Group Ltd on crash involvement of ACT drivers in the region; see Dr Peter Cairney's presentation
- Provide a picture of road crashes in the southern NSW region;
- Showcase local government road safety initiatives; see presentations by Mark Foran, RSO Yass Valley and Upper Lachlan Council and Gary McDonald , RSO Queanbeyan City Council;
- Examine what is known about fatigue in rural crashes and discuss possible counter-measures; see Ken Smith's presentation and text and
- Outline the experience of Snowy Hydro South Care in relation to the recovery of trauma victims.
Presentation by Rosemary White of the Drink Drive Prevention Team, Greater Southern Area Health Service
The seminar was held at Madews' Winery, Federal Highway, south of Collector and attended by some 60 delegates.
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