CARSP Conference 2024 Call for Abstracts

2024 CARSP Conference - Call for Abstracts

The 2024 CARSP Conference takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, from June 16-19, 2024.  Authors are asked to, where possible, relate their submission to the conference Theme, which is: Safe Mobility: Achieving Vision Zero in Urban and Rural Environments, however submissions not related to the Theme will also be accepted. “Safe Mobility” goes beyond the traditional definition of “the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways”. It now recognizes the importance of ‘Healthy Communities’, the idea that safe, equitable, and accessible mobility plays an essential part in how we live our lives safely both in rural and urban settings.  The conference theme will see us explore the use of the Safe System Approach to achieve a safe transportation environment for all.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction - Call for Abstracts
  2. Abstract Requirements
  3. Topics
  4. Important Deadlines
  5. Selection Process and Review Criteria
  6. Resources for Writing Papers and Developing Slidedeck Presentations

1) Introduction - Call for Abstracts

The CARSP 2024 Call for Abstracts is now open. Authors have two stream choices: Policy and Practice OR Research and Evaluation. Abstracts must include the sections outlined in the "Abstract Requirements" below, depending on the stream chosen. Abstracts can be on a wide array of road safety topics and, when possible, should relate to the overall conference theme "Safe Mobility: Achieving Vision Zero in Rural and Urban Environments". However, abstracts on other topics will be accepted. In addition to stream choice, authors also have the choice of doing a paper and a presentation OR just a presentation (no paper). Presentation-only authors have two presentation choices: verbal or poster. Those submitting papers must do a verbal presentation. Once submitted, all abstracts are reviewed by three peer reviewers who use a set of criteria to judge the abstract for acceptance. The final decision is based upon reviewers’ feedback, and if needed by the Technical Program committee. After the conference, all papers and slide deck presentations will be available on the CARSP website for download by delegates. The conference proceedings, however, will only include the papers which were presented during the conference.

Awards – starting in 2024, both the Mavis Johnson Traffic Safety Award for best Policy and Practice Stream submission and the Charles H. Miller Award for best Research and Evaluation Stream submission, will be open to those who present but may or may not submit papers. For this reason, we are increasing the word limit to 1000 (from 500) for both abstracts, to provide us with more detail with which to judge them. These awards are delivered during the Networking and Awards Banquet which takes place at the conference. More details on these two awards are available here: Mavis Johnson Traffic Safety Award   Charles H. Miller Award.

2) Abstract Requirements

Research and Evaluation Abstracts/Papers

  • Background – Why was undertaking this research important; what led to the research being conducted?
  • Aims – What were you trying to achieve (i.e., rationale, objectives) or what were the proposed outcomes?
  • Methods – How was the research undertaken; what was the process/steps?
  • Results – What were your findings?
  • Discussion and conclusions – What did you learn from the research; were there any limitations or challenges; what is next for the project/organization?
Abstract Submission Form – Research and Evaluation Stream

Policy and Practice Abstracts/Papers

  • Context – What was the problem/issue you were addressing? What evidence supports the development of this program or policy?
  • Objectives – What were you trying to achieve (i.e., rationale, objectives); what were the proposed outputs (i.e., key deliverables, target group reached).
  • Target Group – Who is the program directed at?
  • Activity(ies) – Provide a description of the program’s activity(ies), including the nature of the activity(ies) (e.g., legislation, education, enforcement, etc.) and how they were developed and delivered?
  • Deliverables
    • What outputs came from this work?
    • How will this information be applied?
    • What lessons were learned?
Abstract Submission Form – Policy and Practice Stream

3) Topics

Abstracts are welcome on any aspect of road safety, including, but not limited to, the topics listed below as well as the conference theme. Please note that the sub-topics are merely examples.

Vehicles and Vehicle Systems

  • Collision avoidance
  • Collision protection
  • Commercial vehicle safety
  • Off-road vehicle safety
  • Crash investigation and reconstruction
  • Automated and Connected Vehicles

Traffic Engineering/Road Design

  • Impact of road design
  • Traffic operations and traffic control devices
  • Intelligent transportation systems
  • Speed limit setting/monitoring

Injury Prevention

  • Epidemiology of crashes/injuries
  • Occupant protection
  • Biomechanics of injury crashes
  • Automotive medicine

Enforcement/Legal Issues

  • Enforcement strategies
  • Alcohol and drugs
  • Legal aspects of crashes

Safety Initiatives

  • Safety promotion programs
  • Community and partnership engagement
  • Integrated road safety strategies

Policy and Program Development

  • Societal costs of crashes
  • Application of policies and programs
  • Application of legislation/regulations

Road Users/Behavioral Issues

  • Epidemiology of crashes or injuries
  • Specific road users approaches/research (e.g. pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist)
  • Human factors and traffic psychology

4) Important Deadlines

Please note: The inability to meet the following deadlines may preclude the acceptance of your abstract/paper/poster/presentation at the conference and/or its’ inclusion in the conference proceedings.

Full Paper Submissions

Abstract Deadline is November 29, 2023

  • Notification of acceptance by January 31, 2024
  • Manuscripts must be submitted to the speaker portal of Pheedloop by March 8, 2024
  • Reviewers' comments to authors by April 12, 2024
  • Final papers must be submitted to the speaker portal of Pheedloop by May 17, 2024
  • Slide Deck Presentations must be submitted to the speaker portal of Pheedloop by May 31, 2024

Slide Deck/Poster Presentation Only Submissions

Abstract Deadline is November 29, 2023 

  • Notification of acceptance by January 31, 2024
  • Presentation (slide deck OR document outlining content of poster) must be submitted to the speaker portal of Pheedloop by May 31, 2024

If you have any questions, or would like further information, please email info@carsp.ca

5) Selection Process and Review Criteria

To be accepted into the conference, abstracts will be evaluated based on a set of criteria. Following this review, the author will be notified whether or not their abstract has been accepted and whether or not the abstract has been reassigned to a different stream. Similar criteria will be used for the review of full papers. Only full papers will be considered for the conference proceedings. Each stream of presentations has a top award. For the Research and Evaluation Stream, only written papers are considered, and the top paper receives the Charles H. Miller Award. For the Policy and Practice Stream, new this year, both papers and slide-deck only presentation abstracts will be considered, and the top abstract receives the Mavis Johnson Traffic Safety Award. For the exact criteria used to judge the abstracts please download this document: Criteria and Review Process - CARSP 2024

6) Resources for Writing Papers and Developing Slidedeck Presentations