Narelle Haworth

Professor Narelle Haworth works at CARRS-Q, the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland and has 30 years’ experience in road safety research. In 2021 she was made a Member in the General Division (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to the road transport industry, and to accident research. She was awarded the 2013 Australasian College of Road Safety Fellowship “for her outstanding contribution as an internationally recognised researcher in the road safety field and for her major contribution as a policy advisor at the state, national and international level”. She is a member of of the US National Academy of Science TRB Committees AC000 - Safety and Operations Group and ACH20 - Standing Committe on Bicycle Transportation. Until recently she was Chair of the Committee on Motorcycles and Mopeds. These prestigious appointments give CARRS-Q and QUT international recognition by the top international transport board, and is particularly important given the growing importance of deaths and injuries of vulnerable road users. Professor Haworth’s focus has been on improving the safety of vulnerable road users – pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists – and the synergies among both risk factors and road safety measures for these three groups. She has also stressed the importance of the interaction between safety and environmental and other health outcomes for these groups. A major thrust of her work has been to make policymakers aware of the relevance and impact of research on road safety practice, and to reinforce the need to focus on the most effective measures, notably speed reductions and road infrastructure as safety improvements. Her review of bicycle helmet research in 2010 helped the Queensland Government to retain compulsory helmet wearing laws in the face of vocal opposition. Similarly, her analyses of the safety effects of allowing riding on the footpath by adults have provided support for maintaining current legislation in Queensland. Professor Haworth has led evaluations of graduated licensing schemes, pre-driver education programs in schools, motorcycle rider training, the introduction of the 50 km/h general urban speed limit, the WA child restraint fitting scheme, and roadside drug testing. In addition, she has developed evaluation frameworks for the WA road safety strategy, Intelligent Speed Adaptation for heavy vehicles, and public bicycle schemes. She led the team which evaluated the minimum passing distance rule trial in Queensland and provided expert reviews of several other projects undertaken by TMR in response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Cycling.