Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Associate Professor Michael Fitzharris is the Associate Director of Regulation and In-depth Crash Investigations at the Accident Research Centre and Mental Health, Impairment and Injury. He also holds a Honorary staff position at the National Trauma Research Institute at The Alfred.
He completed his PhD in psychology which examined the physical and mental health consequences (including PTSD and depression) of serious injury sustained in road crashes. From a theoretical perspective, the role personality and coping styles to stress and their relationship to health outcomes post-crash was the primary focus.
Michael's research program covers the entire crash-continuum (pre-crash, crash, post-crash) and is centred on measures that prevent crashes, mitigate injury, and improve post-crash health outcomes. He has a strong interest in psychological safety and how mental health influences injury.
A/Prof Fitzharris has significant international road safety experience having been the Foundation Director of the Accident Research Centre at Monash University South Africa, Johannesburg (2008-2010). In this role he had responsibility for the development of research and capacity building programmes in the areas of road safety and other forms of unintentional and intentional injury, acute care and trauma. This saw the development of key partnerships in South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana and in Namibia.
Prior to the position in Johannesburg, he was employed at The George Institute for Global Health (2007-2008) in the Critical Care and Trauma Division where the research focus was health outcomes post-trauma, pre-hospital care and the conduct of randomised controlled trials in intensive care units; he also played a key role in the establishment of a trauma registry research program in China and in the analysis of motorcycle crashes in Hyderabad, India.
He has sat on a number of expert groups, including for the World Health Organisation Global Status Report on Road Safety (2007/2009), and has been involved in Make Roads Safe Decade of Action activities in Africa. He has published many reports for government and industry, as well as in the international academic literature (https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=paC2Hd8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao).
Michael is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) and the Australian College of Road Safety (ACRS). He is an accredited coder using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) by the AAAM.
Research interests
drug and drink driving; mental health and injury; impulsivity; psychological safety and mental health leadership; injury causation; evaluation methods including cost of injury; regulation and vehicle design rules; low-and-middle income countries
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Accident research and injury prevention
- Africa
- Air bags
- Cost of road trauma
- Decade of Action for Road Safety
- Effectiveness of compensation systems
- Impact of road crashes on psychological health
- Road Safety Regulation and Policy
- Road safety
- Road safety in developing countries
- Road safety statistics
- evaluation of new vehicle technology
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 29 Finished
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Enhanced Crash Investigation System Project
Fitzharris, M., Gruen, R., Lenne, M. & Stevenson, M.
1/07/13 → 20/07/18
Project: Research
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Development of a future integrated driver monitoring solution for heavy vehicles (CRC-P)
Lenne, M. G., Fitzharris, M. & Horberry, T.
1/07/16 → 28/09/19
Project: Research
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Mandatory Installation of EDRs In Road Vehicles Supplied to the Australian Market
Fitzharris, M., Logan, D., Liu, S., Newstead, S. & Koppel, S.
15/07/24 → 11/11/24
Project: Research
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Application of a modified integrated safety chain using in-depth crash data to identify factors associated with serious injury crashes: a method to prioritise currently available active safety systems and to identify new opportunities to advance vehicle safety
Fitzharris, M., Lenné, M., Liu, S., Pok Arundell, T., Peiris, S., Corben, B., Tingvall, C., Bowman, D. & Morris, A., 2023, Proceedings of The 27th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Yokohama, Japan, April 3-6, 2023. USA: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, US Department of Transport, 16 p. 23-0156Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Paper › Research
Open AccessFile -
Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) as a contributing factor in serious injury crashes: prevalence, cost of injury and road safety interventions
Fitzharris, M., Liu, S., Lenne, M. G., Corben, B., Tingvall, C., Bowman, D. & Morris, A., 2022. 1 p.Research output: Contribution to conference › Abstract
Open AccessFile -
Evaluation of the Applied Mentally Healthy Leadership (AMHL) Program: Program Journey, Outcomes and Learnings (Case Study 2)
Liu, S. & Fitzharris, M., Oct 2022, Melbourne Vic Australia: MUARC. 6 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
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Evaluation of the Applied Mentally Healthy Leadership (AMHL) Program: Post-Program Evaluation Report
Liu, S. & Fitzharris, M., Oct 2022, Melbourne Vic Australia: MUARC. 30 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Other
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Identification of Countermeasures to Address Serious Injury Crashes: ECIS Report 4
Fitzharris, M., Pok Arundell, T., Corben, B., Lenne, M. G., Liu, S., Peiris, S., Stephens, A., Bowman, D., Morris, A. & Tingvall, C., 16 Dec 2022, Melbourne Vic Australia: Monash University. 146 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned Report › Research
Open AccessFile
Prizes
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Award for Excellence in Research by an Early Career Researcher
Fitzharris, Michael (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
Award for Research Impact (Economic and Social Impact)(Central Portfolios)
Fitzharris, Michael (Recipient), 10 Jul 2014
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
Best paper, Distinguished Scientific Papers: Asia Pacific
Fitzharris, Michael (Recipient), 14 Oct 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
Early Career Researcher Best Paper Award (2010)
Fitzharris, Michael (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
File -
Elaine Wodzin Young Achiever Award
Fitzharris, Michael (Recipient), 2007
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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MUARC Submission in response to the Consultation Impact Analysis for Improving Pedestrian Safety—Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems for Electric Vehicles
Michael Fitzharris (Fellow), Sara Liu (Fellow), Stuart Newstead (Fellow) & Brendan Lawrence (Fellow)
2023Activity: External Academic Engagement › Submissions to industry or govt committees, commissions and inquiries
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Second Symposium on the findings from the Enhanced Crash Investigation Study
Michael Fitzharris (Keynote/plenary speaker)
16 Dec 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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TAC Enhanced Crash Investigation Study (ECIS) Symposium
Michael Fitzharris (Keynote/plenary speaker)
20 Nov 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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MUARC Road Safety Management Leadership Program (November 2019)
Michael Fitzharris (Speaker)
29 Nov 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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MUARC Road Safety Management Leadership Program (June 2019)
Michael Fitzharris (Speaker)
28 Jun 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
Press/Media
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Speed limits and road safety in the context of increased road deaths in Australia
28/08/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Drinking while driving in the Northern Territory (NT)
24/07/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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ECIS findings on drowsy driving support TAC Drowsy Driving campaign
Michael Fitzharris, Michael Lenne, Bruce Corben & Sara Liu
17/05/24 → 19/05/24
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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We need to do something: Crash fatalities mark bad start to 2024
6/03/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment