Safer roads for humans & animals: Proving the LAARMA System

On Tuesday 29 July, iMOVE held another in its series of webinars looking at outcomes from completed projects. The webinar looked at the Large Animal Activated Roadside Monitoring and Alert System project. On hand were representatives and researchers from the Department of Transport and Main Roads Queensland, QUT, and The University of Sydney. The event was recorded, and the video is embedded below.

Background

Australia has a number of large animals moving freely around its country areas. This presents a problem where the animals come into contact with roads and vehicles with accidents happening regularly.

Collisions between animals and vehicles can be catastrophic for both the animal and the vehicle occupants. This project addressed that challenge by developing a self-learning monitoring and alert system that gives drivers time to respond to possible collisions using cassowaries as the test case animal – the Large Animal Activated Roadside Monitoring and Alert System (LAARMA).

The performance of the LAARMA system to influence driver behaviour and improve road safety was evaluated by monitoring speed profile changes, and lane departures. By achieving these goals, the project aimed to mitigate road accidents caused by animal-related hazards and promote safer driving environments.

Webinar video

The event was recorded, and the video is embedded below.

Final reports

Also available for this project, is a wrap-up article and downloadable final reports. Find them at: Large Australian animals and cars: Safety for all

Webinar speakers

• Louise Dutton – Manager (Project Planning and Corridor Management) | Far North District·Transport and Main Roads Queensland
• Ioni Lewis – Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), QUT

Professor Ioni Lewis has extensive expertise in road safety and traffic psychology research, having commenced working in the field back in 2002 when undertaking her Honours project at the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety – Queensland (CARRS-Q), Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Currently, she is Deputy Director and Chair a the MAIC-QUT Road Safety Research Collaboration.

Ioni’s expertise is in the development and evaluation of road safety public education and advertising campaigns, drawing upon social psychological perspectives. She has led the development of an innovative conceptual framework, The Step approach to Message Design and Testing (SatMDT) which she has applied in relation to the development and evaluation of road safety campaigns addressing high risk behaviours.

In 2016, the Hand in Hand: Let’s Go Places child pedestrian campaign was awarded the Excellence in Evaluation Award at the International Safety Media Awards in Tampere, Finland. Ioni has an extensive publication record comprising peer-reviewed journals, reviewed full papers and abstracts for conferences, as well as reports for Government and Industry.

She has been the Guest Editor of a special journal issue on “Communication, Media, and Road Safety Messages” within the Australasian College of Road Safety’s Journal.

• Dr Mao Shan – Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Robotics Research, University of Sydney

Mao Shan received his PhD from The University of Sydney in 2014. Mao was a Research Associate at the Australian Centre for Robotics at The University of Sydney from 2014 to 2016, and a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, from 2016 to 2017. Currently Mao is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Robotics.

His research interests include autonomous systems, V2X communication, cooperative perception, and sensor fusion.