Current Research
The Foundation is currently conducting a numerous research and studies as well as supporting other related research projects.
The Foundation is currently conducting a numerous research and studies as well as supporting other related research projects, closely following the aforementioned key areas of advocacy, which are risk behaviours of road users, traffic safety culture as well as monitor and evaluation of road safety measures.
A large-scale nationwide survey of motorcycle accidents
It is widely acknowledged that motorcycle is one of the most dangerous vehicles in the world and most road accidents happen to motorcyclists, whom of which have demonstrated the highest fatality rate compared to other types of vehicle. The empirical evidence that has been gathered in Thailand can demonstrate only small fractions of the whole picture of road safety relating to motorcycles, such as motorcyclists’ gender and age, driver license possession, helmet use, headlight use and other risk behaviors.
This research project aims to study and investigate additional aspects of the natures and causes of motorcycle accidents through a large-scale survey, using interviews with hospitalized motorcyclists and passengers. Questions include, for example, transportation mode, types of motorcycle used, road conditions at the scenes, types of collision. Information gathered from the interviews can provide fruitful foundation needed to establish clearer correlations between causes of accident and injuries from motorcycle accidents, which in turn can provide a more concrete evidence for effective road accident preventative and corrective measure design and implementation. This project is currently being conducted by the research team from the Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, supported by the Foundation and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation.
Diversity of Road Traffic Safety Culture
It is essentially important to explore and study value and diversity of road traffic safety cultures of both road users and pedestrians, so that road safety knowledge can be further developed, thereby, helping provide better understanding of road safety related problems. Therefore, more effective road accident preventative and corrective measures can adequately be designed and implemented in accordance to diversities in road traffic safety value and culture.
The Foundation has funded a research team from the Engineering Faculty, Chiang Mai University, to conduct an observational study aimed to explore human related factors regarding attitudes and beliefs that lead to risk behaviours on roads. Better understanding and knowledge of such factors obtained from the study will certainly be valuable as it can be used to help policy makers set up adequate road traffic safety value and culture evaluations, reflecting the road traffic safety culture diversity. Furthermore, the study will also provide information which can be used to assess other road safety measures’ effectiveness.
Impacts of motorcycle seating positions and motorcycle child safety seat on injury patterns and severity among child passengers study
The sight of young children as motorcycle passengers has long been witnessed in the country, especially during the rush hours in major cities. Seating positions of children on motorcycles vary, either on the back or the front of motorcyclists. However, true understanding and knowledge of the associated risks of young child motorcycle passengers is still at a very minimal level, especially the lack of knowledge of an adequate seating position on the vehicle. This study, thus, aims as an additional valuable input for better implementation of the Road Safety Master Plan 2013-2016 and the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, as it will help provide a clearer picture of injury patterns and severity of motorcycle accidents among young child passengers, thereby, leading to more effective fatality reduction measure design and implementation for Thailand in the future.
The Foundation has funded a research team from the King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok to conduct an observational study on motorcycles’ rolling movement trajectory after collision, injury patterns and severity among young child passengers in order to provide a better understanding of the most adequate child seating position on the vehicle.