Current Activities
Following CIRPD’s World Congress on Neck Pain held in 2008, we received two grants under the Auto21 Networks of Centres of Excellence program for a research project entitled Prevention: Reducing Occupant Injury in Rear End Collisions.
Whiplash injuries caused by rear-end vehicle collisions are a financial burden to all Canadians. Costs are estimated to be $135 CDN/car-year of vehicle insurance across Canada, and the total cost to society exceeds $464 million/year in BC alone (2005). This research project, Prevention: Reducing Occupant Injury in Rear End Collisions, addresses this issue directly using an integrated, multi-layered approach which is designed to provide both near-term and long-term gains.
These layers include:
- Developing new strategies to better implement existing knowledge into practice
- Developing new knowledge and technology to remove the role of the operator from the safety system and to enhance occupant protection through the design of future vehicle/occupant integrated active whiplash mitigation system.
The Whiplash Prevention Campaign arose from this initiative.
Whiplash Prevention Campaign - CIRPD is engaged with UBC Department of Mechanical Engineering and BC Injury Prevention Unit on the Whiplash Prevention Campaign. The campaign aims to educate the public and employers with fleets, that 35% of whiplash injuries can be prevented by owning cars with GOOD rated head restraints and by adjusting those head restraints appropriately.
Masters and Doctoral Awards Associated with Whiplash Prevention –Since 1999, CIRPD has been a co-funder of training awards in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. CIRPD has awarded 12 grants for research on injury prevention in rear-end vehicle collisions.
CIRPD Awarded Grants
Past Educational Conference and Workshops
World Congress on Neck Pain
In 2008, CIRPD held the World Congress on Neck Pain. This conference brought together professionals from both the healthcare sector and the automobile safety industry to collaborate about current research on neck pain and its associated disorders. The congress was timed to launch the publication of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain in the Population.
Post-Conference Information
World Congress on Whiplash-Associated Disorders
In 1999, CIRPD, under its former name, Physical Medicine Research Foundation held the first World Congress on Whiplash-Associated Disorders. The primary goal for this conference was to reduce disability associated with whiplash injuries by improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of patient care by using evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations.
Post-Conference Information
Overall Conference Information
Pain Emanating from the Head and Neck Conference
Proceedings from this event were published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain.
Research on Neck Pain | CIRPD's Current Projects | Get Involved
Last Updated: July 5, 2011
Reviewed by: Marc White PhD, Scientific & Executive Director, CIRPD