ARSC2016 conference tackles Australian road trauma rate

The Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC2016) will focus on a reduction in crashes and the 120 deaths on Australia’s roads every month.

Around 600 experts and advocates from around the globe will meet to share the latest in road safety research at the conference, hosted by the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), Austroads and The George Institute for Global Health.

Australia’s current National Road Safety Strategy, which has been signed by all Australian governments, aims to reduce the number of road deaths and trauma by 30% between 2010 and 2020. However, the past 12 months has seen a 10% rise in the number of people dying on Australian roads, with at least another 30,000 people seriously injured each year.

Lauchlan McIntosh AM, president of the Australasian College of Road Safety, said the conference would focus on how to harness the latest research, technology and policy innovations to produce the best possible road trauma reduction outcomes.

“It’s incredibly timely that this conference will help us investigate an increasing complexity across the road safety spectrum and determine factors that are of major importance in reversing this current trend,” said McIntosh.

“It is also vital that we ensure there is strong leadership and management to underpin our collaborative efforts — without this, we are much less likely to succeed.”

Some of the research that will be examined at the conference includes a focus on the transition to semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles, the case for a national reduction in the local road speed, developing the first drug driving public education campaign in NSW and an evaluation of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander driver licensing programs are helping reduce incarceration rates.

Co-chair of the conference Rebecca Ivers from The George Institute for Global Health, said: “Road injury is one of the leading causes of death in people under 50 in Australia. It is a major public health issue for those living in rural and remote areas and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“The conference provides a prime opportunity to address the rising burden of road injury in Australia and ensure we have targeted, appropriate programs. We also have major delegations to the conference from India and other countries across the Asian region and further afield, allowing significant opportunities for sharing of expertise and innovation,” she said.

The conference will be held in Canberra from 6–8 September.  

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