Unregistered Transport - Mobility, Safety and new Technologies

There is little knowledge about exposure and risks for soft mode and recreational transport in Norway. Walking, cycling, private boat use and off road transport is not covered by legal requirements (driver license etc.), and is not systematically registered by Statistics Norway. The project entitled 'Unregistered Transport - Mobility, Safety and new Technologies'(UTMOST) aims to obtain data on exposure and accidents on such 'marginal' modes of transport by employing surveys and exploiting new developments in information technology. We have utilized and modified existing app technologies in order to obtain data on travel patterns and volumes for different transport modes currently not well covered in the official statistics, such as off-road and children's travel behaviours. The UTMOST project has provided important knowledge about exposure and risks in areas where such knowledge so far has not existed. Furthermore, by carefully adopting similar questions in the surveys to the different groups, we have been able to compare exposure and risk levels between these areas. Such risk comparisons may have important policy implications by revealing in what travel modes/types injury risk is most pre valent, and thus providing information of where the introduction/stimulation of safety measures may be most beneficial. In 2015, we have completed the mapping of cycling in Oslo and Harstad using surveys and the mobile application "MOVES". During the summer of 2015, we have charted the use of leisure boats using a survey to boat owners registered in the Norwegian small boat registry. Throughout 2015 and 2016 we have recruited schools and schoolchildren to map risk factors along their way to school using the ?Traffic Agent?. During spring 2016 we have conducted a comprehensive survey to owners of snowmobiles, receiving more than 4500 replies. Based on exposure data in the various transport modes we have calculated risk (accidents or injuries per distance travelled) by use of self-reported injury data from survey and reported injuries from selected hospitals that systematically register injuries in connection with various activities. We have calculated risk figures for cyclists, in traffic and off-road, leisure boats and snowmobiles. Data are analyzed and results reported in three TØI reports. Results will be published internationally in Safety Science or Accident Analysis and Prevention

The proposed project aims to obtain data on exposure and accidents on 'marginal' modes of transport by exploiting new developments in information technology, and as such addresses the prioritized theme 1: Interaction between technology and individual/orga nization/society with regard to transportation safety. The project is organized in six work packages (WPs). The first WP "Alternative methods and technologies to be utilised for mapping exposure and risks" will be an overarching task investigating i nto the possibility to gain better data on exposure and risks by use of mobile app technology for mapping exposure, resulting in an operational device to be used in subsequent WPs. WPs 2-5 are case studies of modes of travel that are currently poorly co vered with respect to exposure and accidents: WP2 Children's travels to school, WP3 Leisure boat travel, WP4 Walking and cycling on and off roads and WP5 Snow scooter and ATV travel. We will use both traditional survey techniques and new app technology to register trip data and obtain data on travel volumes. We will utilize a unique data source (Harstad Injury Data Base) along with self reports to map accidents/injuries and provide nationwide accident and risk estimates for the groups studied. WP6 wil l sum up and disseminate results both about exposure, accidents and risks for the travel modes covered and about implications for planning and policy both for the use of app technology to obtain data and in practice to inform authorities about safety crit ical issues. Users will be involved in all stages of the project, and results will be disseminated to stakeholders and the research community through scientific journals, presentations at international conference and research reports. The project will an swer to the demand in the TRANSIKK program for new prioritization tools in order to improve safety and security governance, and to a stated demand from the program committee for methodological innovation.