The Injury and Trauma Research Program conducts research in the following areas: road traffic injuries, falls prevention, and traumatic injury.
Key Projects
China Novice Driver Study
Currently, new Chinese drivers learn to drive at off-road training facilities by completing maneuvering exercises. In Beijing, some limited driving is gained on a newly built, low-risk road with limited traffic. As it is not permitted to practice outside of the driving schools, new drivers do not experience driving in heavy ‘down town’ traffic and therefore do not experience how to detect potentially hazardous road situations. This pilot study will develop and implement a driver education and training program for real world traffic conditions, adapted specifically to Chinese motoring conditions. The driver training will focus on enhancing road safety knowledge, improving road safety behaviors, and reducing the number of offences, crashes, and near-crash situations.
China Seatbelt Intervention
The burden from road traffic injuries in China is overwhelming. Over the past 45 years road traffic fatalities in China has increased by a factor of four while serious injuries have increased by a factor of 10. Despite the known benefits associated with seat belt use and national legislation requiring drivers and front seat passengers to use seat belts, the level of actual use is very low. The China Seatbelt Intervention involved better promotion through social marketing and health education, training, and enhanced traffic police enforcement of road safety measures to increase seat belt use for drivers and front seat passengers in Guangzhou – a huge city in southern China. The study helped to changed to police enforcement and drive the establishment of comprehensive road safety information in Guangzhou.
China Trauma Collaboration
The burden of disease associated with survivors of trauma is substantial. With the rapid increase in motorization, combined with growth across many industry sectors, the burden of injury in China is likely to grow, placing considerable demand on pre-hospital, hospital and rehabilitation services. We developed a long-term collaborative research and education program focused on pre-hospital and in-patient trauma care involving a number of hospital emergency departments in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu coordinated by The George Institute, China. Some of the research goals are to identify patterns of trauma being treated in hospitals and developing an on-going trauma database, among other goals during the five phases of the China Trauma Collaboration.
Motorcycle Helmet Use and Risk Factors for Helmet Non-use among Motorcyclists in China
There are more drivers and motorcyclists on the roads than ever, and safety of these motorists is becoming more important in countries around the world. This study identified the prevalence of non-standard helmets among motorcyclists using helmet. The difference in the costs between standard, safe helmets and non-standard helmets was calculated to help understand the motivation of those who are not using standard helmets. Other factors that were identified included legislation around manufacturing, importing and selling non-standard helmets.
For further information on projects, including Aims or Methods, at The George Institute for Global Health, China, please contact Ye Erken (Ken) at yerken@georgeinstitute.org.cn.
