CARRS-Q
Encyclopedia
The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) is a research centre established in 1996.
It is based at the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland University of Technology
(QUT) in Queensland, Australia and is part of both the Faculty of Health and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
(IHBI).
The Centre was established as a joint venture of the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) and QUT, and also receives funding from competitive research grants for specific projects. CARRS-Q's stated vision is "to decrease the local, national and international burden of trauma-related harm", which it does by conducting research, training road safety professionals, running drink-driver rehabilitation and fleet safety programs, and giving awards to other organisations or individuals for successful road safety initiatives.
, CARRS-Q offers a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Road Safety for people who are already working in, or want to enter the field, as well as short courses in crash site investigation and statistical evaluation. It also has Masters and PhD students, some of whom are concurrently employed as Research Officers.
Organisations that want to improve occupational health and safety (and thus, reduce costs and risks) in their vehicle fleets can engage the Fleet Safety team to conduct a range of services including driver profiling and policy development. Workshops, both for fleet managers (using case studies to explore legal obligations and data-collection processes) and professional drivers (focusing on awareness, attitude and behaviours) are conducted, and a series of Fleet Safety seminars have been held. Fleet Safety is sometimes referred to as Work Related Road Safety.
Convicted drink drivers are referred to the Under the Limit program (in conjunction with a probation order) through the Magistrates' Court of Queensland
. Completion of the program has been shown to reduce repeat drink-driving offences, although it does not change participants' intentions to drink. The UTL program is held at Technical and Further Education
(TAFE) campuses and in 2009 received the Queensland Crime & Violence Prevention Award from the Government of Australia
's Australian Institute of Criminology
.
(4WD) vehicle and a driving simulator
.
The instrumented 4WD is equipped with sensors such as a multimedia datalogger, physiological devices (EEG
, ECG and EMG
), laser
scanner, radar
s and eye trackers
.
The CARRS-Q Driving Simulator was officially launched on 19 March 2010. It is based on a Holden Commodore
sedan that was donated for the purpose, and sits on a six degrees of freedom
motion platform.
Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), through exchange of visiting researchers and collaboration on research papers.
It is based at the Kelvin Grove campus of Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
(QUT) in Queensland, Australia and is part of both the Faculty of Health and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
The Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation is a collaborative research centre based at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia...
(IHBI).
The Centre was established as a joint venture of the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) and QUT, and also receives funding from competitive research grants for specific projects. CARRS-Q's stated vision is "to decrease the local, national and international burden of trauma-related harm", which it does by conducting research, training road safety professionals, running drink-driver rehabilitation and fleet safety programs, and giving awards to other organisations or individuals for successful road safety initiatives.
Areas of research
CARRS-Q's areas of research are divided into Occupational Road Safety, Regulation and Enforcement, Safety Systems and Technology, School and Community Injury Prevention, and Vulnerable Road Users. The Centre is part of the School of Psychology and Counselling in QUT's Faculty of Health, and some of its researchers have psychology qualifications and focus on the behavioural aspects of road safety.Teaching activities
Through Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
, CARRS-Q offers a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Road Safety for people who are already working in, or want to enter the field, as well as short courses in crash site investigation and statistical evaluation. It also has Masters and PhD students, some of whom are concurrently employed as Research Officers.
Research Interventions
The Centre has two self-funding research interventions, the Fleet Safety program and the Under the Limit (UTL) drink-driver rehabilitation program.Organisations that want to improve occupational health and safety (and thus, reduce costs and risks) in their vehicle fleets can engage the Fleet Safety team to conduct a range of services including driver profiling and policy development. Workshops, both for fleet managers (using case studies to explore legal obligations and data-collection processes) and professional drivers (focusing on awareness, attitude and behaviours) are conducted, and a series of Fleet Safety seminars have been held. Fleet Safety is sometimes referred to as Work Related Road Safety.
Convicted drink drivers are referred to the Under the Limit program (in conjunction with a probation order) through the Magistrates' Court of Queensland
Magistrates' Court of Queensland
The Magistrates Court of Queensland is the lowest court for the Australian state of Queensland. The court is the first stop in many criminal and civil actions and deal with minor criminal and civil matters...
. Completion of the program has been shown to reduce repeat drink-driving offences, although it does not change participants' intentions to drink. The UTL program is held at Technical and Further Education
Technical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
(TAFE) campuses and in 2009 received the Queensland Crime & Violence Prevention Award from the Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
's Australian Institute of Criminology
Australian Institute of Criminology
The Australian Institute of Criminology is Australia's national research and knowledge centre on crime and justice. The Institute seeks to promote justice and reduce crime by undertaking and communicating evidence-based research to inform policy and practice.The functions of the AIC include...
.
Research facilities
CARRS-Q has a range of equipment used in road safety research on driver behaviour, including an instrumented four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
(4WD) vehicle and a driving simulator
Driving simulator
Driving simulators are used for entertainment as well as in training of driver's education courses taught in educational institutions and private businesses...
.
The instrumented 4WD is equipped with sensors such as a multimedia datalogger, physiological devices (EEG
EEG
EEG commonly refers to electroencephalography, a measurement of the electrical activity of the brain.EEG may also refer to:* Emperor Entertainment Group, a Hong Kong-based entertainment company...
, ECG and EMG
Electromyography
Electromyography is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph, to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyograph detects the electrical potential generated by muscle...
), laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
scanner, radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
s and eye trackers
Eye tracking
Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze or the motion of an eye relative to the head. An eye tracker is a device for measuring eye positions and eye movement. Eye trackers are used in research on the visual system, in psychology, in cognitive linguistics and in product...
.
The CARRS-Q Driving Simulator was officially launched on 19 March 2010. It is based on a Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
sedan that was donated for the purpose, and sits on a six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom refers to motion of a rigid body in three-dimensional space, namely the ability to move forward/backward, up/down, left/right combined with rotation about three perpendicular axes...
motion platform.
Queensland Road Safety Awards
The Queensland Road Safety Awards (QRSA) were first held in the year 2000 and are a joint initiative of CARRS-Q and the RACQ to "recognise and honour the outstanding efforts of individuals and groups who have started projects or programmes to improve safety on Queensland roads".Collaboration
CARRS-Q has links with similar organisations worldwide, such as the French National Institute for Transportation Safety Research (INRETS) and University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), through exchange of visiting researchers and collaboration on research papers.