Research Papers (2009 – 2013)

Abstract

Young driver road crashes have long been recognized as a major health and safety problem in Canada and around the world. These crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for young people ages 15 through 24 and, young drivers in general are two to three times more likely than older ones to be involved in a crash. To increase knowledge and awareness about young drivers and the risks they pose, their crash involvement, and available strategies to protect them on the road, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) created the Young and New Driver Resource Centre (YNDRC). The YNDRC contains information about research, programs, tools, strategies and resources for young and new drivers, parents and educators to help reduce the crash risk of young and newdrivers, and improve road safety. This paper will describe the growing importance of knowledge transfer in road safety as context. It will identify the purpose and goals of this knowledge transfer initiative, how it was developed, and the process used to develop the content and create this web-based tool. It will also describe the external review process that was undertaken prior to the launch of the site. Information about the users of the site, examples of the different ways that it is being used, and the feedback that has been received, will be shared. Opportunities to further develop this initiative will also be highlighted. In addition, the presentation will include an interactive demonstration of the YNDRC website.

Robyn Robertson, Anna McKiernan, Sara Oglestone, Dan Mayhew, Ward Vanlaar