Liberty Mutual Presents 2012 Best Paper Award

Paul Schepers (right)
accepts the 2012 Liberty
Mutual Award from Jon
Berman (left), president of
the Institute of Ergonomics
and Human Factors.

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has presented the 2012 Liberty Mutual Best Paper Award to a research team from The Netherlands for the scientific paper, "What Do Cyclists Need to See to Avoid Single-Bicycle Crashes?" The award promotes excellence in safety and health research, and recognizes contributions to the advancement of ergonomics.

Published in the April 2011 issue of Ergonomics (Vol. 54, No. 4, pp. 315-327), the paper discusses a study that examined visual characteristics of cycling facilities, such as pavement markings on bicycle paths, in an effort to improve cycling safety. 

"The winning paper was selected for making a major contribution in its field," says Roger Haslam, coordinating editor of Ergonomics. "The investigation represents a significant advancement for contemporary ergonomics. In particular, the editors considered the work to be an important and innovative study addressing cycling safety. We were impressed with the use of mixed methodologies, including a new approach to analyzing the visual characteristics of crash locations."