Published by Australian Academy of Science
Useful sites | Bogged down in the four-wheel drive debate?

How four-wheel drive works (How Stuff Works, USA)

Uses diagrams to help explain the basics of a four-wheel drive system. Includes definitions.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive.htm

Royal Automobile Club Victoria, Australia

• Vehicle compatibility
  Explains that vehicle compatibility occurs when a vehicle protects not only its occupants, but anyone else involved in the collision.
  http://motoring.racv.com.au/racvm/whichcar/bestbuysarticle.cfm?ID=31AA62EA-5349-4032-A83554647D3EC8EE

• Bull bars: Think before fitting
  Covers the effect of bull-bars on airbag operation, the risks to vulnerable road users and some advantages and disadvantages of bull-bars.
  http://motoring.racv.com.au/racvm/whichcar/bestbuysarticle.cfm?ID=3D828400-8678-44C8-BE6BED924F7FF69B

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (transcripts)

• The cars that ate cities (Background Briefing, 15 June 2003)
  Looks at the growing use of four-wheel drives and the resulting safety and environmental implications.
  http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/stories/s881845.htm

• 4 wheel drives in the city (Earthbeat, 2 June 2001)
  Looks at why four-wheel drives are popular in spite of their high fuel consumption.
  http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s308819.htm

Monash University Accident Research Centre, Australia

• Are crashworthiness and fuel economy necessarily conflicting outcomes?
  Paper from a presentation given at a 2001 workshop.
  http://www.rsconference.com/pdf/RS020082.PDF

• Vehicle crashworthiness and aggressivity ratings and crashworthiness by year of vehicle manufacture: Victoria and NSW crashes during 1987-2000, Queensland and Western Australia crashes during 1991-2000
  A summary of the report. The full report (143 pages) is available in pdf format.
  http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc171.html

• Vehicle occupant protection: Four-wheel drives, utilities and vans
  A 1996 report looks at the extent and patterns of injuries to occupants when crashed vehicles were 'written-off'.
  http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/atsb150.html

Clean vehicles – building a better SUV (Union of concerned Scientists, USA)

Looks at how existing technologies can be used to offer consumers a four-wheel drive that is safer, cleaner and more cost effective.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/cars_pickups_suvs/building-a-better-suv.html

Vehicle compatibility: Analysis of fatal crashes (Australian Transport Safety Bureau)

A study which looks at the relative risk of injury and death of occupants in passenger vehicles of different sizes.
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/1999/pdf/Veh_Type_Analy.pdf

Road safety and 4WDs (Parliamentary Library, Australia)

Summarises some 4WD road-safety issues, driver attitudes and the national road safety policy.
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/2003-04/04rn27.htm

Vehicle properties determining aggressivity (2001 Road Safety Conference, Australia)

Describes a study that used multiple regression analysis to determine which physical features of a vehicle are most likely to contribute to vehicle aggressivity.
http://www.monash.edu.au/oce/roadsafety/abstracts_and_papers/040/MLES_Paper40_Final.pdf