Abstract:
The establishment of a dedicated CSIR research facility for transport safety has been a
topic of discussion for several years. In 2020 the CSIR embarked on a process to establish
a facility dedicated to transport safety research to be known as the Transport Safety Lab.
The aim is to address transport unsafety by conducting experimental projects that provide
insight into the mechanisms and contributory factors that cause risk and incidents in the
transport environment.
This paper provides feedback regarding progress made with the Transport Safety Lab
project to address the Research Development and Innovation (RD&I) gap by enabling
experimental research (evidence based and data driven), promoting, and advancing
initiatives and opportunities that encourage the use of local data and methodologies in
support of local transport safety solutions. In addition, the article provides a review of
current experimental projects that support capability development and the building of a
portfolio of evidence to be used to display the type of work that the Transport Safety Lab
can do.
The experimental projects revolve around specific topics that contribute to addressing
accidents and incidents and are considered medium to long-term projects or research
programmes that are evidence-based and that will in future inform the development and
implementation of relevant, targeted policies, regulations, and interventions to effectively
curb transport safety issues responsible for crippling the South African economy.
