MORE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO REDUCE ROAD FATALITIES
Thirteen projects aimed at reducing road fatalities will share in $2 million over the next four years through Round 1 of the Australian Government’s Road Safety Innovation Fund.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Liberal and Nationals Government is committed to reducing road injuries and fatalities and this is just one of many targeted initiatives.
“Finding innovative ways to make safety front of mind for all road users is key to supporting the Safe System principles – an inclusive approach to road safety that underpins the National Road Safety Strategy that has been agreed by all Governments,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“The Road Safety Innovation Fund will fund research projects ranging from protecting vulnerable users including pedestrians, cyclists and children, through to crash prediction models, improving night visibility of signs, boosting heavy vehicle safety by trialling automated inspection capabilities and driver decline sensitivity testing.
“The Fund is one of the many ways the Australian Government is investing in road safety to move towards zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.”
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said the Road Safety Innovation Fund proved very popular among applicants with more funding available for road safety projects later this year.
“In Round 1 there were 104 applications for grant funding, which is fantastic news because it demonstrates strong community interest in this important road safety initiative,” Mr Buchholz said.
“This Fund complements our other road safety initiatives, include the $4 million Road Safety Awareness and Enablers Fund, which is helping to deliver targeted educational campaigns to reduce risky behaviour and increase road safety awareness, installing life-saving speed signage and collaborating with the community on decreasing road trauma.”
These projects further complement the Government’s recent $500 million commitment for a Targeted Road Safety package to help keep Australians safe as the nation’s drivers emerge from COVID-19 restrictions.
The Road Safety Innovation Fund Round 2 is expected to open in late 2020. For more information on the Australian Government’s road safety initiatives, including the Office of Road Safety, visit www.officeofroadsafety.gov.au
Road Safety Innovation Fund Round 1 projects:
Organisation: University of New South Wales
Project: Identifying measures sensitive to declining safety due to progressive driver decline from dementia to better inform drivers, families and clinicians and support the development of appropriate in-vehicle road safety devices and apps.
Organisation: Northern Territory Government
Project: Investigating alternative pathways to increase the delivery of drink and drug driver online learning resource.
Organisation: Sage Automation
Project: Testing deployment and evaluation of smart school zones systems.
Organisation: City of Busselton
Project: Testing innovative technology to warn motorists of cyclists ahead.
Organisation: University of Newcastle
Project: Investigating how long can an operator stay engaged in an automated vehicle (AV) when they are not actually driving to support future regulation of journey length for AVs.
Organisation: Federation University
Project: Development of a virtual rail concept to reduce corner cutting by semi-trailers in order to protect vulnerable road users.
Organisation: Queensland University of Technology
Project: Development of a generalised mathematical program to better predict road crash frequency and severity.
Organisation: University of the Sunshine Coast
Project: Development of a cycling incidents reporting tool.
Organisation: SmarterLite
Project: Enhancing cost effective and low light and night-time visibility of road signs, line marking and pavement marking by testing the performance of photoluminescence.
Organisation: University of South Australia
Project: Testing user experience methods for older vulnerable road users to assess future pedestrian road safety infrastructure needs.
Organisation: Mobility and Accessibility for Children and Adults
Project: Stimulating product design and development to – eliminate buckle release risks for children with a disability.
Organisation: The George Institute for Global Health
Project: Investigating the effectiveness of alternative training methods to achieve the proper fitment of child car restraints throughout rural and remote areas.
Organisation: Industrial Monitoring and Control
Project: Testing automated thermographic tools and their effectiveness in assisting on road heavy vehicle inspections.