Transport Research and Innovation Portal

Background & policy context

A Strategic Research Programme on the application of meta-analysis in transport research has recently been established by support from the Norwegian Research Council. The chief area of application has so far been in summarising the results of road safety evaluation studies. Numerous other areas of application are, however, envisaged, including studies that have valued non-marketed goods in monetary terms.

Strategic Objectives

The objectives of this programme are to improve the skills of the research staff in the use of meta-analysis, to develop the methods of meta-analysis as applied to transport research, and to extend the use of meta-analysis to new areas.

Programme organisation

This programme is a strategic institute programme (SIP), aimed at developing new research areas and rendering professional activities leading to a deeper understanding. The programme's status is reported to the Norwegian Research Council every year. The initiative to establish the strategic institute programme was made by the institute itself, while the Research Council is held responsible for the professional quality assurance of the SIP.

Leading institution(s)

Non-profit organisation:

Institute of Transport Economics - TOI (on behalf of the Norwegian Research Council)

Type of funding

Public (national/regional/local)

Programme funding arrangements and funding conditions

This programme is financed by the Research Council, with a total budget of approximately EUR 500 000 over five years from 2000 to 2004. The funding is dispersed as follows (all numbers are approximations):

2000: EUR 75 000
2001: EUR 100 000
2002: EUR 100 000
2003: EUR 125 000
2004: EUR 100 000

The major part of the resources is spent on man-hours worked by research workers at the Institute of Transport Economics.

Participating countries

Norway

Total number of projects

Approx. 8

Completed projects

2

Currently ongoing projects

3

Not yet started or predicted projects

approx. 3

Projects covered

Strategic research programmes contribute to long-term skills upgrading within specific research fields. Other projects related to the given research field, clearly benefits from the improved competence achieved by co-workers, such as gained theoretical- and methodological knowledge. However, many of these related projects do not receive direct funding from the SIP's budget.

The following are examples of projects with a strong relation to this SIP:

• Revision of the Traffic Safety handbook.
• 'Speed and accidents - an evaluation of the power model' [potensmodellen]
  In Sweden, the power model is frequently used to describe the relationship between speed rates and the occurrence of accidents. The project aims at evaluating this model, using meta analysis and surveys that render a quantification of the relation between speed rates and the occurrence of accidents, graduated by the level of injury.
• 'Effects on road safety of daytime running lights'. The EU Commission has assigned a consortium
  where TOI has been charged with the task of evaluating the effects of using driving lights during daytime on traffic safety. The evaluation is performed using meta-analysis.

Contact for further information

Dr Rune Elvik
Institute of Transport Economics (TOI)Department of Safety and Environment
Postboks 6110 Etterstad
N-0602  Oslo
Norway

Tel: +47 22 57 38 10
Fax: +47 22 57 02 90

Website: Organisation website
Website: META-ANALYSIS Programme website