Transurban Road Safety Centre

Transurban Road Safety Centre was built in 2017 and is Australia’s first research-dedicated crash test lab. It combines world-class research with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to provide a source of ongoing innovation in road safety.

The Centre

Our facility features a crash sled, capable of reaching speeds up to 64 km/h. It gives NeuRA’s researchers the opportunity to study a number of growing trends on Australian roads. These includes aged drivers and passenger’s safety, motorcyclist’s safety, motorcycle design, rear seat occupancy and restraint systems. The facility also enables our researchers to collect important data that reflects the severity of road crashes.

Our goals

NeuRA and Transurban have recently announced a new three-year partnership, which will continue to support the operations of NeuRA’s Transurban Road Safety Centre (TRSC) and the team of researchers who work there. Our goal is to alleviate the significant impact of death and injury on our roads through research.

Our findings

“NeuRA has made some exciting discoveries that will help keep Australia’s drivers, passengers and motorcyclists safer on our roads,” said the TRSC Lead Scientist, Professor Lynne Bilston. “Our research has included improving the use and effectiveness of child restraints, providing better advice to older drivers about how they can protect themselves while behind the wheel, and examining how motorcycles could be designed differently to reduce injury during a crash,” she said.

The TRSC’s findings are being provided to Australian regulatory bodies and motorist associations to inform the development of regulations and assist road users.

Our future

“Transurban is committed to strengthening communities through transport and safety is always our highest priority in delivering benefits to our customers and the community,” said Liz Waller, Road Safety Manager at Transurban.

Find out more

Older driver safety compromised by seat cushions and pillows

Researchers suggest a rethink of “banned” chest clips on child car restraints in Australia

Research finds that children are three times more likely to die or be seriously injured in a car crash if their car seat has been used incorrectly

Experts find that errors in child car seat use is putting children’s lives at risk