Lakehead U Researchers Strive to Educate Canadians on Safe Driving Practices
National Safe Driving Week reminds
everyone to drive safely and responsibly
(December 1, 2010 " Thunder Bay, ON) In recognition of National Safe Driving Week, which runs December 1 through 7, researchers at Lakehead University's Centre for Research on Safe Driving (CRSD) urge all drivers to do something, however small, to make our roads safe all year round.
![](http://communications.lakeheadu.ca/uploads/news/2010/CRSDlogo.jpg)
December 1 to 7, 2010
ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES CAN BE AVOIDED
"For the most part, road crashes are not "˜accidents,' but are preventable events, which is why CRSD researchers focus their efforts on increasing awareness about the need to enhance road safety and safe driving practices," explains Dr. Michel Bedard, Director of the CRSD. Bedard notes the Centre's preferred approach to enhancing road safety is to encourage and improve safe driving rather than promoting punitive approaches. He adds that while driving is not a right, it is an important privilege, which CRSD researchers want to help people retain. All drivers have a responsibility to minimize the risk they pose to themselves as well as to other road users, and must recognize that road safety is everyone's responsibility.
Through its focus on basic and applied
research regarding the interactions between the driver,
the vehicle, and the road environment, the CRSD and its research are unique in
Canada.
Realizing a reduction in road crashes depends on the development of sound research and its translation into changes in how we drive. Results of this research are disseminated via professional conferences, media events, and publications in scientific journals, and by targeting specific groups such as drivers and policy makers.
USE OF SIMULATOR
The research conducted by the CRSD relies on field research such as on-road evaluations and simulator technology. The latter plays a particularly important role because of the safety and ethical issues involved with this form of research and using roadways as a test site. CRSD researchers test how drivers react in challenging situations by using a simulator rather than an actual road test where safety can be compromised. The same applies to other research activities such as examining the distracting effects of in-car devices (GPS navigation systems, etc.). With the simulator, researchers can also examine the potential value of warning systems such as speed feedback devices and/or lane-positioning systems.
Bedard notes that although equipment-based research is a tremendous benefit in generating results to help the general public drive more safely, each driver's perception of his or her driving skills may be the root of some crashes. "While we can certainly all recount examples of unsafe driving, near hits, or even crashes caused by driving errors that should not have occurred, our perception is often that others are the problem," he says. Bedard recounts a study published more than two decades ago in which 80 percent of drivers considered themselves among the best 30 percent of the driving population. He adds that, "In two recent studies conducted by CRSD researchers, not one driver rated himself or herself below average. This suggests that many of us probably overestimate our own driving abilities. Although nobody is immune to making driving errors, trying to examine what every one of us can do to become better drivers will make us all safer in the long run."
The CRSD has delivered a number of high-profile research findings and engages many well-published researchers with expertise in wide-ranging areas including biostatistics, engineering, gerontology, health, human factors, kinesiology, pharmacology, physiology, and psychology.
For more information about the CRSD and its driving-related research initiatives, please visit http://crsd.lakeheadu.ca or call 807-766-7256.
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MEDIA: Dr. Michel Bedard is available for media interview. For more information or to arrange interview times, please contact Heather Scott, Communications Officer, at 807-343-8177 or commun@lakeheadu.ca, or Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, at 807-343-8372 or eabaya@lakeheadu.ca.
About the CRSD
The
CRSD was launched in 2009.
Researchers at the Centre comprise experts from Lakehead University as
well as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, St. Joseph's Care Group, and
other universities and organizations from across Canada.
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 8,280 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca