Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) has become the first institution from the southern hemisphere to be awarded one of the world's most prestigious international safety awards.
The International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) conference presented CARRS-Q with the ICADTS Institutional Widmark Award in Norway last month.
The award is only given to organisations or individuals that have made outstanding, sustained and meritorious contributions to the international field of alcohol, drugs, and traffic safety.
CARRS-Q director Professor Barry Watson accepted the award at the Oslo conference on his team's behalf.
"In Australia, we sometimes feel like we are a long way away from the rest of the world," he told the conference.
"But through organisations like ICADTS we can stay connected with our colleagues in traffic safety all around the world."
Professor Watson paid special tribute to CARRS-Q founding director, Professor Mary Sheehan, for her leadership and vision during the centre's first 12 years.
"Mary's strong commitment to traffic safety and her nurturing of new researchers provided the centre with both a firm foundation and a sense of purpose - particularly in combating the problem of impaired driving," he said.
Several CARRS-Q staff and students attended the Norway conference to present their work and hear what their fellow researchers were doing around the world.
Previous recipients of the ICADTS Institutional Widmark Award include The British Medical Association, the USA National Safety Council, Italy's Centre of Behavioural and Forensic Toxicology, and Canada's Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
CARRS-Q is part of QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and the Faculty of Health's School of Psychology and Counselling.
Media contact - Sandra Hutchinson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 2999 or s3.hutchinson@qut.edu.au
