Research

The goal of the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit (BCIRPU) is to reduce the social and economic burden of injury in BC. The Unit is part of the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and supports the development of policies and programs through research, surveillance, and the translation of evidence and knowledge for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and the public.

A new Road Safety Monitor (RSM) poll by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) shows that a majority of young Canadian drivers are aware that they cannot drive safely after drinking alcohol. The public opinion poll conducted in September 2010 investigated a variety of drinking and driving behaviours and attitudes among youth including riding with a drinking driver.

This study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is based on a small group of teen drivers using a vehicle equipped with an event data recorder called Drivecam. The Drivecam system records video and data based on abnormal triggering events such as sudden steering or braking. Recorded events were compared and contrasted for beginner (supervised) and novice (unsupervised) drivers.

Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program (CTBSSP) Synthesis 18: Older Commercial Drivers: Do They Pose a Safety Risk? explores age-related changes in the basic functional abilities needed to drive safely. The report is designed to help assist industry and labor practitioners in promoting safer commercial operations.

This report produced by the US Transportation Research Board's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) explores human factors principles and findings for consideration by highway designers and traffic engineers. The report is designed to help the non-expert in human factors to consider more effectively the roadway user’s capabilities and limitations in the design and operation of highway facilities.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 641: Guidance for the Design and Application of Shoulder and Centerline Rumble Strips explores the design and application of shoulder and center line rumble strips as a crash reduction measure.

Driver fatigue is an important causal factor in many highway crashes—and is of particular concern in the trucking industry where many operators undertake long haul drives with limited amounts of sleep. Previous studies suggest that fatigue can affect steering performance and speed control.

Lloyd's TSB Insurance commissioned a study that suggests driving with a cold or the flu can impair a driver by up to 11%, comparable to having consumed a double of hard liquor. A single sneeze lasts about 2 seconds, during which the driver's eyes are closed. At a speed of 80 km/h this will mean a travel distance of almost 45 meters.

Speed limiters or governors, are devices that control a vehicle engine to only permit reaching a pre-programmed maximum speed. The limited response to this study suggests that limiters reduce the occurrence of crashes, save fuel and reduce tire wear.