Parliamentary committees turn road safety research and ideas into practice: Examples from Australia

Abstract

Introduction: Researchers frequently complete outstanding work in the road safety area that, if put into practice, could reduce the deaths and injuries resulting from road crashes. Parliamentary committees working for Westminster style parliaments can provide these researchers with opportunities to help transfer their research directly into practice. Method: This paper fills a gap in our understanding of the role of parliamentary committees in the road safety policy development process by reviewing existing literature. It firstly considers the work that Australian road safety committees have completed to date and then identifies corresponding improvements in practices. The contribution that researchers can make to this process is also reviewed. Results: Parliamentary committees have made important contributions to the development of road safety policy and legislation within Australia. This review found that researchers have an important role to play in the development of this policy and legislation. Conclusions: Researchers should actively participate in the work of parliamentary road safety committees by providing road safety suggestions based on empirical evidence and consideration of the local road safety issues within that jurisdiction.