ARSC2015 Post-conference Wrap-up
 

What a fantastic experience last week's conference was! Thanks to unprecedented support from 670 delegates and more than 40 sponsors, exhibitors and supporters, Australasia’s inaugural Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC2015) was a phenomenal success!   The 200+ papers and posters, workshops & symposia, keynotes, invited speakers & panellists ensured there was something for everyone in our combined efforts to drive down road deaths and injuries.
   
This record number coincides with an increasing community interest in getting Australia's road safety performance level back into the top ten in the world during the UN Decade for Action for Road Safety 2010-2020.  Over the last 40 years some 100,000 Australians are alive and perhaps 1,000,000 have not been seriously injured as a result of many of the reforms encouraged by such specialists.  But still 1,100 die each year and more than 30,000 are seriously injured in road crashes.

"By any measure the Australian Road Safety Conference 2015 has been a great success. 
It has drawn together people from academia, policing and law enforcement, road and network research, healthcare,  state territory and New Zealand road  and transport agencies and many subject matters experts. 

The attendance by the Hon Michael McCormack MP confirms the Commonwealth Government's commitment to road safety and the target to reduce road deaths and injuries.  Austroads has been proud to be a contributor to this event and will continue to support the ACRS in the future".

Mr Nick Koukoulas
Chief Executive Officer
Austroads

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"The success of the inaugural Australasian Road Safety Conference was evident in the range and depth of the issues addressed and the wide cross-section of road safety researchers and practitioners who attended. I'm sure that the conference will continue to grow and become one of the leading events on the annual global road safety calendar ".

Dr Barry Watson FACRS
Chief Executive Officer
Global Road Safety Partnership


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"This was the first conference in many years that brought together all groups and individuals interested in road safety, and it showed in the numbers of attendees, the quality of the papers and plenaries and the level of enthusiasm in interactions.    It feels like this community is ready to deal with some of the difficult issues we need to address to continuously improve road safety in Australia."

Professor Ann Williamson
Director, Transport and Road Safety
University of New South Wales


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"There were many interesting people presenting and many interested people present throughout the three days and two evenings . Surprisingly, in the crowds I did  meet many wonderful activists who are successful and inspiring in the field if road safety.
Gavin Smith, Barry Watson and Brian Owler all presented excellent information in interesting styles.
The sponsorship was outstanding, & the substantial support from  Govt has secured the future of the combined meeting."

"The meeting provided me with both useful data and a new optimistic view about the amazing future of road trauma prevention."

Associate Professor Daryl Wall AM
Director, Trauma Service
Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital


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"Congratulations are in order for a great conference – several people commented to me that it was one of the best ever for them.
 
In keeping with the 'Taking Action Together' theme, I left feeling there was stronger support for the “sharing the road” message, not only with cyclists but also motorcyclists as well as integrating heavy vehicles. There didn’t seem to be much push back against this or “heated debates” as in the past.
 
Also along these lines, I thought there was less “mobility versus safety” debate, as if they are accepted now as equally important in the safe system (albeit of course a road safety audience has this bias!).   Bruce Corben, based on his and David Healy’s work, promoted the phrase “safe mobility”, which was well received.

Dr Teresa Senserrick
Associate Professor, Transport & Road Safety
University of New South Wales


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"I was particularly impressed with some of the work being done at the local government level in relation to Safe System solutions. Municipalities are smaller than the large government agencies and hence can be a "lot nimbler on their feet".  They can change direction more easily and swiftly."

Mr David Healy FACRS
Independent Road Safety Consultant


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"From Austrade’s perspective the inaugural Australasian Road Safety Conference was a resounding success. It was great to witness the diverse work underway in the domestic and international road safety space, as well as the energy and enthusiasm applied to the important work done in bringing down levels of road trauma. It really showcased the Australian capabilities across the spectrum and set a high standard for ARSC rounds to come."

"We were able to meet with a lot of key stakeholders in the international road safety area over the three days and would now like to maintain a dialogue with the hope being that we can explore some of the opportunities to leverage Australia’s key competencies in road safety."

Mr Farley Brewer
Trade Advisor - Infrastructure
Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)


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"Research is smart people talking about clever ideas. But it's only when researchers join with industry, government and communities that these clever ideas will work to keep us safe on the roads.  ARSC2015 provided an excellent forum to share clever ideas, start new conversations and strengthen collaborations".

Dr Marilyn Johnson
Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Transport Studies
Monash University

 

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“Throughout the 2015 event the tragedy, scale and burden of severe injury from road crashes was clear.  Whilst we are making progress in reducing fatalities, the tragic consequences of trauma are still high - and this is where most of the cost of road trauma sits.  Coupled with the UN Global Goal to halve road deaths and injuries by 2020, we are getting closer to joining the dots between the costs of road trauma and the solutions – as shown by TAC and ACC investment in road safety, amongst others. 

The productive partnerships across all 5 Pillars of road safety was impressive and noticed by many international delegates who struggle to achieve this level of cooperation in their own countries. 
 
But, there is still a long way to go – not to mention the international challenges in India, Asia and the Pacific shared by the World Bank and others.  So many great initiatives, ideas and evidence based-research shared at the conference that just need to be scaled up to make an impact. With the UN level support, and a great new federal Minister responsible for Road Safety, now is our time to challenge the status quo, and act at a whole new level of impact – and then share our success at the 2016 ARSC event in Canberra in September 2016 with its focus on Agility, Innovation and Impact”

Mr Rob McInerney FACRS
Chief Executive Officer
International Road Assessment Program (iRAP)

 

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The Wrap! - A Quick Guide to the ARSC2015 outcomes - the take home messages

Some common themes ran throughout the conference, with the following identified as most urgent/relevant to the wider road safety community:

• There's a great deal of excellent work taking place to reduce road trauma across our region and internationally in a range of areas, and forums such as ARSC2015 are prime examples of where we can celebrate and build on these successes. 
• While it is extremely important that we do not lose focus on the excellent work we've done and are doing, other countries appear to be reducing road trauma rates faster than we are. 
• We've made much headway and implemented improvements that have led to real impacts in terms of savings to society.  But as we all know the battle will not end until we reach zero. 
• While death rates are falling serious injury rates are not and may well be increasing. (See PPT by Bernard Carlon reporting from the 2015 National Road Safety Forum).
• The United Nations Global Goal to halve deaths and injuries by 2020 will require jurisdictions and lead agencies to review existing targets and the scale of the response.
• A National/Australasian Serious Injuries Forum was recommended to agree a national injury measure that will allow not only comparisons but highlight where the best action should be taken to reduce injury rates.
• While road safety is everyone's responsibility, there is increasing interest in encouraging the community to see road safety as part of a broader, community safety agenda, including public health and also in a context of safer mobility.
• The interaction between various road users, various agencies and business (suppliers and users) as demonstrated at the conference creates improved solutions through collaboration.
• The economic costs and savings, and increased national productivity of reduced road trauma need to be more widely communicated to the broader community as well as to decision makers.
• We need to take advantage of the media interests in short-term events (such as increased fatalities over a long weekend) to get across our messages, but not to allow these to drive policy.
• There is potential for a media summit/symposium to spread the word around best practice and safe system reporting of road crashes.
• Technological advances are in general a positive unstoppable wave – for all vehicles, data collectors and in enforcement . The potential contribution in collision avoidance, enhanced behavioral monitoring and control and improved efficiency across transport modes have potential to bring major trauma reductions.
• As a result we are moving rapidly from our relatively new concept of a Safe System to a more Complex and Dynamic System of road safety management.  We must be able to evolve quickly within the Complex Systems of the future.
• The positive mood of the delegates at the Conference is expected to translate into enhanced motivation of delegates and hence their organisation or specialty to work more closely together in the task to reduce road trauma.
• We must continue our commitment to creating collaborative, productive partnerships between all sectors of road safety to achieve best possible outcomes.  As was evident at ARSC2015, forums such as this are crucial to the success of our many programs.
• As we meet the challenge in Australasia, the need to play a supporting role and learn from others throughout the Asia Pacific region where 60% of global road deaths occur is also a priority and an opportunity.
• We must continue to celebrate our successes - it is important to take stock of how far we have come whilst maintaining our efforts to reach zero.

Above all, we must continue to Take Action Together!


 

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Thanks - to our political leaders

We greatly appreciate the federal and state politicians who were able to participate in ARSC2015.  It is heartening for all those working to reduce road trauma to know that our political leaders are the driving force behind the overall management and strategy of road trauma reduction, and are both supportive and appreciative of our combined efforts.

In particular we would like to thank the following politicians:

Hon Michael McCormack MP
Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister

 

We would like to sincerely thank the newly appointed Federal Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Michael McCormack, for joining us at ARSC2015.  Barely 3 weeks into his new position, A/Minister McCormack, whose responsibilities include road safety, joined delegates at the ARSC2015 Conference Dinner last Thursday evening, and helped to congratulate our outstanding ACRS Award recipients (ACRS Fellowship & 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Awards) for their leadership in driving down road trauma. 

A snapshot of Minister McCormack's speech is as follows:

In my new role as Assistant Minister I am responsible for road safety and I acknowledge the excellent work that has been achieved before me.  This conference heralds a new era — bringing with it the energy, passion and drive needed to work towards the vision championed by the National Road Safety Strategy that no person should be killed or injured on Australia’s roads.
 
It’s an ambitious target, but the objective is self-evident.

Even so, I am genuinely amazed that with all the work and all the technological know-how, still 1,189 lives were lost during the 12 months to September.   I’m also aware that this is a slight increase on the previous 12 months.
 
A key aim of the strategy is to create a safer transport system that can efficiently move transport and freight, but does not cause death or injury.  The statistics are striking. The NSW Government has estimated that upgrading the Pacific Highway will avoid 1,000 fatalities, 7,400 injuries and 5,400 non-injury accidents in the 43 years between 2007 and 2050.
 
There’s a similar story on the Bruce Highway where the Royal Automobile Association estimates that 60 per cent of road deaths in Queensland occur, and that without further upgrades an additional 350 people will die and 5,000 will be injured in the next decade.

Getting ahead of the curve with vehicle and road technology advances and reducing the regulatory burden on business and consumers are also key Government objectives.
 
The initiatives I have outlined are all good, and they are all working, but statistics tell us there is much more to be done.
 
The Australian Government is committed to strengthening its contribution in areas where we have direct responsibilities.   We ask state, territory and local governments and the community and business sectors to join us in that commitment. 

And whilst we are doing well nationally in reducing fatalities, the picture is not quite so clear for serious injuries.  This is another challenge — to work together across states and territories and all levels of government to come up with a reliable way to monitor serious injuries from road crashes, at the national level.   I know it is a complex issue and it has been part of your discussions for the past two days.   It is also a matter that needs recognition at the global level. Australia will be raising it at the Second Global High Level Conference on Road Safety to be held in Brazil next month. 
 
I look forward to hearing the outcomes of this conference and I hope to see many of you again in Canberra next year at the second Australasian Road Safety Conference, if not before.

For more information on A/Min McCormack, please view the Parliamentary Website.
 

Mr Mark Bailey MP
Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports
Queensland

Delegates were delighted to be joined by Queensland's first ever Road Safety Minister, Mr Mark Bailey MP, who outlined the new strategic direction for road safety in Queensland. 

Minister Bailey outlined the four guiding principles of Queensland's Safer Roads, Safer Queensland Road Safety Strategy 2015 - 21 as follows:

Download the Minister's Complete Powerpoint Presentation here.

 

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Thanks - to our Keynotes, invited speakers and panellists (plus summaries of these sessions)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our exemplary keynotes, invited speakers and panellists, who provided us with such engaging and informative plenary sessions.  The calibre of these experts let to strong attendance at plenary sessions.  It was great to see the engagement of the audience as evidenced by their questions, tweets and feedback to organisers:

• Dr Barry Watson: CEO, Global Road Safety Partnership Program
• Mr Gavin Smith: CEO, Robert Bosch Australia
• Prof Brian Owler: President, Australian Medical Association
• Prof Gerry Fitzgerald: Professor of Public Health and Director; Queensland University of Technology
• Ruth Purdie: General Secretary, TISPOL – European Traffic Police Network
• Mark Textor: Managing Director and Co-Founder, Crosby|Textor Group; Chairman, Amy Gillett Foundation
• Prof James Harrison: Director, Research Centre for Injury Studies, Flinders University & Director, National Injury Surveillance Unit (NISU)

Please find summaries of these sessions as follows:

• Opening Plenary session (Thursday) - Dr Barry Watson (GRSP) & Mr Gavin Smith (Bosch) (Summary) 
• Thursday - 2nd Plenary session - Mr Mark Textor (Amy Gillett Foundation), Dr Marilyn Johnson (Amy Gillett Foundation) (Summary)
• Friday Morning Plenary Session - Professor Brian Owler (AMA), Professor Gerry Fitzgerald, Professor James Harrison (Summary)
• Nick Koukoulas, CEO, Austroads (PPT)
• Dr Barry Watson, CEO, Global Road Safety Partnership (PPT)
• Mr Gavin Smith, CEO, Bosch Australia (PPT) (Paper)
• Mr Mark Textor, Chairman, Amy Gillett Foundation
• Dr Marilyn Johnson, Monash University (PPT)
• Professor Brian Owler (Paper)
• Professor Gerry Fitzgerald
• General Secretary Ruth Purdie (PPT)
• Professor James Harrison (PPT)
• Mr Bernard Carlon, Acting General Manager, NSW Centre for Road Safety (PPT)
• Ms Helen Climo, Safety Portfolio Manager, New Zealand Transport Agency (PPT)

 
If you would like copies of any other Papers or Powerpoint Presentations, please contact Christine Bethwaite at ACRS on faa@acrs.org.au.

 

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Summaries - Workshop/Symposia

The diverse selection of workshops and symposia provided the audience with thought-provoking presentations, lively discussions,a nd commitment to creating new networks and collaborations.  Thanks to our key workshop organisers, we have now received several of the workshop/symposia summaries as per below:

1. Asian Development Bank Package of Actions to Improve Road Safety in ASEAN (Summary - prepared by Professor Narelle Haworth, CARRS-Q)
2. The National Road Safety Partnership Program Providing a Pathway for any Business/organisation to Create a Positive Road Safety Culture (Summary - prepared by Ian Johnston, NRSPP)
3. Pacific Road Safety Project Design (Summary - prepared by Rob McInerney, iRAP)
4. Road Safety Education in Schools (Summary - prepared by Therese Back (ACRS)
5. Road Safety in Low and Middle-Income Countries (Summary - prepared by Dr Mark King - CARRS-Q)
6. World Bank and iRAP - How to halve road deaths and injuries by 2020 across the Asia-Pacific Region - and how you can help! (Summary - prepared by Rob McInerney, iRAP)
7. Road Safety in Oman (Summary - prepared by Dr Jason Edwards, CARRS-Q)
8. Supply vs Use: Why must we choose which safety law to break (Summary - prepared by Eric Chalmers, KIdsafe ACT)
9. Policing and Enforcement - Collaborative Action for Change (Summary - prepared by Claire Irvine)

Further summaries will be provided to you as soon as they become available.

 

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Post-event Survey - helping us to keep improving and give you what you need!
 

ARSC2015 Post-Conference Delegate Survey

 

Thank you so much for joining us at ARSC2015 on the Gold Coast - we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did!

To help ensure we continue to make an impact on road trauma reductions in the very best way possible, we have appreciated your feedback on our inaugural conference.  You've let us know your thoughts on what aspects of ARSC2015 you most enjoyed, as well as those areas which have the potential to be improved - helping us to make ARSC2016 even better!

Thank you for completing the survey!



If you need a memory jogger, please download the ARSC2015 Program and Workshop/Symposia Program below.



 

 

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Photos - memories of a fantastic event!

Please find below a selection of (amateur!) photos from ARSC2015 in Collage format.  The professional photos are now available on the College Flickr Account.
 

Visit the ACRS Flickr Account to view the professional photos.

 

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ARSC2015 Declaration - shortly heading to Brazil...

Thank you to the many delegates who signed up to support the ARSC2015 Declaration for Trauma Free Roads. 

ACRS President, Mr Lauchlan McIntosh, will shortly be heading to the United Nations High Level Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, and will be promoting the ARSC2015 Declaration as an indication of support from all those working to reduce road trauma in our region.

Professor Brian Owler signing the ARSC2015 Declaration

We look forward to bringing you updates from the meeting, and in the meantime please download the ARSC2015 Declaration here.