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An International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods

An International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods. Robyn Robertson & Ward Vanlaar Traffic Injury Research Foundation 9 th UN Road Safety Collaboration Meeting Geneva, November 17-18, 2008. Goals. Overview of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF).

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An International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods

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  1. An International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods Robyn Robertson & Ward Vanlaar Traffic Injury Research Foundation 9th UN Road Safety Collaboration Meeting Geneva, November 17-18, 2008 A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  2. Goals • Overview of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). • Context for a major research initiative. • An International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods • mission and guiding principles; • target audience; • core activities; • structure; • partners and expertise. • Request for support. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  3. About TIRF • Established in Canada in 1964 as a registered charity. • Highly respected scientific and technical staff with over 70 years experience in road safety research, evaluation and policy development. • Conducts 20 research projects annually with funding from Canada, US, EU, and Australia. • Funding comes from primarily government, as well as associations, and industry. • Governed by a Board of Directors from government and the private sector in Canada and the U.S. • Independence, objectivity, and creativity are hallmarks of TIRF’s work. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  4. About TIRF • To prevent the health and social consequences of traffic crashes by designing, promoting, and implementing effective programs, policies and legislation based on sound research. • Core activities: • Research on road user behavior & crashes; • Program and policy development; • Evaluation plans, program and policy evaluation; • Knowledge transfer and exchange. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  5. What is the issue? • Good quality data are often not available in the field of traffic safety (GIGO). • Even when good quality data are available, inappropriate or weak analysis techniques are often applied. • This results in a poor understanding of the problem or critical factors. • This can lead to faulty conclusions and a waste of limited resources. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  6. Why is it important? • Good quality data and appropriate data analysis are the linchpin to meaningful research. • Meaningful research is fundamental to identifying effective prevention policies and programs that reduce deaths and injuries. • Such research is critical in LMIC, given WHO’s projection that road deaths in these countries will escalate exponentially without appropriate action. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  7. What is the impact? • In LMIC, there is a significant lack of quality data; knowledge about data; understanding of appropriate data analysis techniques. • This leads to ineffective research, programs and policies, and ultimately an under-used potential for saving lives. • There is high demand for education about data and data analysis, especially in LMIC. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  8. What is the response? • There has been limited action. • For example: • In 2007, a Nigerian delegate at the ICADTS conference in Seattle publicly criticized attendees for failing to share information or expertise to assist LMIC. • In 2007, a leading journal (Injury Prevention) published an article entitled “Road safety in LMIC: a neglected research area”. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  9. The Centre of Excellence • To address road deaths and injuries in LMIC, TIRF and 10 international partners have formed a consortium to develop an International Centre of Excellence in Road Safety Research Methods. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  10. About the Centre • The mission of the Centre is to “reduce road traffic deaths and injuries in LMIC by building knowledge and capacity in road safety research methods and facilitating the development of evidence-based road safety interventions”. • Guiding principles include: • capacity building; • not-for-profit; • international focus; • synergy. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  11. Target audience • A range of traffic safety staff in LMIC that require education, support and guidance regarding data management and analysis, and the development and implementation of evidence-based practices can access the Centre: • researchers; • data managers and analysts; • educators and students; • practitioners and road safety program managers. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  12. Core activities • Core activities of the Centre include: • Education delivered by an annual summerschool and web-based training courses; • Research support delivered using a researcher-in-residence program; • Dissemination of knowledge delivered using a bi-annual symposium; • Free consulting services. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  13. Structure • The Centre is structured as an ‘institution without walls’. • An Executive Committee is responsible for strategic planning and the achievement of long-term goals. • Daily operations of the Centre are to be administered through a Permanent Secretariat housed at TIRF. • Partners in the consortium will provide researchers, teaching staff and assist with the development of content for courses and events. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  14. Partners • European Transport Safety Council • Transportation Research Institute, Hasselt University, Belgium • SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research, Netherlands • National Technical University of Athens, Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, Greece • Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d’entreprise, la logistique et le transport, Université de Montréal, Canada • University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Centre • Data Nexus, Inc., Colorado • Monash University Accident Research Centre, Australia • Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety, Australia • Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile • Strategic alliance with IRTAD is underway A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  15. Areas of expertise • The Centre has 7 core areas of expertise: • research and evaluation designs (quantitative and qualitative); • data collection (primary and secondary); • data storage and management; • basic statistics; • data mining; • time series analyses; • multilevel analyses. • Services will be offered in English and French. • More study tracks and languages will be added to the Centre as it expands. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  16. Demand for service • To date a number of jurisdictions/organizations have expressed an interest in using the services that would be offered by the Centre of Excellence in official letters of endorsement or support. • Countries include: • Chile; • China; • Fiji; • Pakistan; • Vietnam. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  17. Request from TIRF • Funding (seed money or matching funding or full funding), and/or • Your official endorsement of the Centre to help us secure funding, and/or • Your official recognition of the need for a Centre of Excellence, and your official endorsement of the concept of such a Centre to help us secure funding, and/or • Your support to build relationships with potential sponsors. A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

  18. Staying informed www.tirf.ca A DRIVING FORCE FOR SAFETY

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